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Pick your poison
Asian languages: pick your poison
Every Asian language Kungfucius covers, side by side: script, tones, grammar, speakers and how long it really takes an English speaker. Start with Mandarin Chinese, Japanese or Korean, then pick your next poison.
The short answer
Kungfucius says: Every language is easy. For the people born into it.
In this section
Chinese 中文Learn Chinese (Mandarin): the complete guideLearn Chinese (Mandarin): tones, Pinyin, characters, Simplified vs Traditional, best apps, HSK and TOCFL, and a roadmap from zero to fluent.Chinese 中文How hard is Chinese, really?How hard is Chinese, really? Tones, characters and grammar rated honestly, FSI hours, and why Mandarin is easier than its reputation in some ways.Chinese 中文How to check into a hotel in ChineseHow to check into a hotel in Chinese: phrases for reservations, passports, deposits, Wi-Fi and checkout, in Traditional and Simplified characters with Pinyin.Chinese 中文Pinyin: the complete guidePinyin explained: initials, finals, tone marks and the spelling traps (ü, zh, q, x) that trip up English speakers, plus how to type Chinese with Pinyin.Chinese 中文Simplified vs Traditional Chinese: which should you learn?Simplified or Traditional Chinese? Who uses which, how different they really are, and which script to learn first for China, Taiwan or Hong Kong.Chinese 中文Mandarin tones: a practical guide (with tone trainer)Mandarin tones made practical: the four tones plus neutral tone, tone sandhi rules, common mistakes, and a tone trainer to practise with real words.Japanese 日本語Learn Japanese: the complete guideLearn Japanese: kana, kanji, grammar, pitch accent, the best apps and the JLPT, with an honest roadmap from your first hiragana to reading manga.Japanese 日本語How hard is Japanese, really?How hard is Japanese, really? Kana, kanji, grammar and politeness rated honestly, with FSI hours and the parts that are easier than you might expect.Japanese 日本語Hiragana & katakana: learn kana fastLearn hiragana and katakana fast: 46 basic characters each, mnemonics, the order to learn them, and how long it really takes to read kana fluently.Japanese 日本語How to learn kanjiHow to learn kanji: how many you need, readings (on and kun), components, SRS tools like WaniKani, and why reading real Japanese matters most.Korean 한국어Learn Korean: the complete guideLearn Korean: Hangul in a day, grammar and speech levels, pronunciation, the best apps and TOPIK, with an honest roadmap from zero to K-drama fluent.Korean 한국어Learn Hangul in a dayLearn Hangul in a day: how the Korean alphabet works, 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels, syllable blocks, and the pronunciation traps to watch.Korean 한국어How hard is Korean, really?How hard is Korean, really? Hangul, pronunciation, grammar and speech levels rated honestly, with FSI hours and the parts that are easier than they look.Chinese 中文How to read Chinese charactersHow to read Chinese characters: components, radicals, phonetic hints and the few thousand characters that cover most text, explained without the mysticism.Chinese 中文Chengyu: should you learn Chinese idioms?Chengyu explained: what Chinese four-character idioms are, how often people really use them, and which ones are worth learning first (and when to stop).Chinese 中文Eating idioms: 吃醋, 吃豆腐 and 吃木瓜 explainedWhat do 吃醋 and 吃豆腐 mean, and is 吃木瓜 a saying at all? Chinese 'eating' expressions explained: jealousy, flirting and a papaya myth, with examples.Chinese 中文Chinese geography vocabulary: cities, mountains, riversChinese geography vocabulary: how to say cities, provinces, mountains and rivers in Mandarin, with characters, Pinyin and the logic behind the names.Chinese 中文Survival Chinese phrasesSurvival Chinese phrases for travel and daily life: greetings, numbers, ordering food, taxis, hotels and help, with Traditional, Simplified and Pinyin.Chinese 中文Chinese radicals: how to learn themChinese radicals: what they are, how many there are, which ones to learn first, and how they help you guess meanings and look up unknown characters.Japanese 日本語Survival Japanese phrasesSurvival Japanese phrases for travel and daily life: greetings, polite requests, restaurants, trains and hotels, with kana, kanji, romaji.Japanese 日本語How to check into a hotel in JapaneseHow to check into a hotel in Japanese: phrases for reservations, passports, deposits, Wi-Fi and checkout, with Japanese script, romaji.Korean 한국어Survival Korean phrasesSurvival Korean phrases for travel and daily life: greetings, polite requests, food, transport and hotels, with Hangul, romanisation.Korean 한국어How to check into a hotel in KoreanHow to check into a hotel in Korean: phrases for reservations, passports, deposits, Wi-Fi and checkout, with Hangul, romanisation.
Kungfucius says
“Every language is easy. For the people born into it.”每種語言都很簡單，對母語者來說。
“If you feel like you're losing everything, remember that trees lose their leaves every year, yet still stand tall and wait for better days to come.”當你覺得自己正在失去一切時，記得樹木每年都會落葉，卻依然挺立，等待更好的日子到來。