Menu
GoEast Mandarin
  • Online
    • Private tutor
    • Group class
    • For children
    • For corporates
  • Courses
    • HSK1
    • HSK2
    • Hanzi
    • HSK3
    • HSK4
    • HSK5 & 6
    • Business Chinese
    • Spoken Chinese
  • Group class
  • Open class
    • Online open class
    • Open class in Shanghai
    • 1-on-1 trial class
    • Language assessment
  • Shanghai
    • Private Classes
    • Group Classes
    • Yangpu campus
    • French Concession
    • Visa help
    • For corporates
  • Resources
    • Events
  • About
    • About GoEast
    • Teachers and staff
    • Reviews
    • Partners
  • Contact
Close Menu
photo-1567480849447-0ec63ac72a22

Which languages do people learn in China?

Chinese and English are the most commonly spoken languages in the world with approximately 1.2 billion speakers each. Children in China speak Mandarin and sometimes a local Chinese dialect at home. They then learn English at primary school but parents often pay for English classes at a younger age outside of school. Currently, English is considered the language of business with international companies from every country in China. So to be able to speak and write in English provides a path to financial success for people in China these days. Less than 300 million people in China can speak English which is only 25% of the population. It’s still very useful to learn some Chinese when visiting or living in China.

English wasn’t always the most popular foreign language to study in China. The history of foreign language study is very closely tied to national politics and the economy. In the 1950s and 1960s, when the Chinese communist government was established, there was a lot of communication and collaboration with Russia so Russian was the foreign language of choice. Today, in Northern China near the border of Russia, many children still learn Russian in school.

Over the last 40 years, Japanese and Korean have also been popular languages for people to study in China because of the economic opportunity both domestically and abroad with Japanese and Korean companies. Additionally, these two languages are relatively easy for native Chinese speakers to learn since Japanese shares 2,000 written characters with Chinese.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were many merchants and traders from different countries living in the port cities of China (Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai). In order to do business with these foreigners, some Chinese people learned French, Portuguese, and English. There are still quite a few Chinese people who study French and German but these languages are not nearly as common as English, Japanese, and Korean. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of people studying Spanish and Portuguese in China, especially as China does more business with South American companies.

How to prepare for the Chinese HSK2 exam Learning Chinese VS learning to code

Related Posts

learn Chinese characters from Chineasy

Culture

Can you learn Chinese characters from Chineasy?

Northeast Chinese accent

Culture

About the Northeast Chinese accent (Dongbeihua)

Chinese learning podcasts

Culture

Top Mandarin Chinese learning podcasts

Events

  • Movie night: Eat drink man woman
  • 1 Hour Free Chat (Online)

Recent Posts

  • Can you learn Chinese characters from Chineasy?
  • About the Northeast Chinese accent (Dongbeihua)
  • Top Mandarin Chinese learning podcasts
  • Guide to Chinese Modal Particles
  • How to improve your Chinese pronunciation
Back To Top

TwitterFacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagram

Essential words in Hanzi, Pinyin & English

    Send me GoEast's '5000 Essential words in Hanzi, Pinyin & English' for free, followed by learning tips

    Company

    • About GoEast Mandarin
    • Events
    • Resources
    • Reviews
    • Partners
    • Visa help
    • NPS
    • Teachers & staff

    Courses

    • Online
    • Shanghai
    • Private classes
    • Group classes
    • For Children
    • Corporates
    • Spoken language
    • Intensive courses
    • Mini-MBA
    • Free placement test
    • YouTube

    Learning tips

    • What you need to know to speak the Chinese language
    • Chinese words and phrases per HSK level
    • All about Chinese Hanzi characters
    • Best YouTube channels for learning Mandarin Chinese
    • How long does it take to learn Mandarin Chinese?

    Contact us

    coursecenter@goeast.cn

    Yangpu campus
    No 194-196 Zhengmin Road
    Yangpu District, Shanghai
    T + 86-021-6512-9300

    French Concession campus
    Lane 147 Yongfu Lu, Building 63
    Xuhui District, Shanghai
    T + 86-021-5435-6358

    GoEast Ottawa
    123 Slater Street, 6th Floor
    Ottawa, ON K1P 5H2
    T: +16137204588

    © GoEast Mandarin
    沪ICP备12023309号