There are some 20,000 characters in contemporary written Chinese. Knowing about 4,000 is considered educated, while the threshold for standard literacy is 2,000. “Basic” (or just-getting-by) literacy ...

“Yi, er, san . . .” A Chinese language student counts each stroke while writing the Chinese character for “big”, 大. This seems like a simple process, but new evidence suggests that studying Chinese ...

When 20-year-old Suon Chiva was choosing a language to complement his native Khmer, it didn’t take him long to decide. He saw where the products in his local markets were made and where the new ...

According to the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Service Institute, Chinese is a Class III language—the most difficult to master—and requires 2,200 hours of rigorous study to gain general ...

Editorial Note: Forbes Advisor may earn a commission on sales made from partner links on this page, but that doesn't affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. Learning a new language requires ...

Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington provides funding as a member of The Conversation NZ. CQUniversity Australia and Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington provide funding as ...