Mandarin Chinese typing practice requires a Chinese keyboard.
Virtual Chinese keyboards can be installed on a host of varying devices and operating systems, allowing you to quickly and easily input hanzi by typing out a particular character’s pinyin and selecting the correct hanzi from a list.
From pre-installed keyboards already available on your mobile devices to Chinese keyboard apps that you can download on your Android or iOS devices: Chinese typing is quite literally at your fingertips to start practicing. Then, you’ll be able to move on to programs that require you to type in answers, like some of the quizzes on the video-based immersion program, FluentU.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
What better way to bring your typing skills up to speed than by taking one of these online typing tests as part of your Chinese typing practice routine?
This program isn’t quite a Chinese typing test, but it certainly can be used as one.
Simply begin typing a word in pinyin and select the correct hanzi for the word by pressing 1, 2, 3, etc.
Start a timer on your phone and begin typing as much hanzi as you know, or try to translate a page written in hanzi.
This can be handy for learners on the go who may not want to install a Chinese keyboard on their computer or device, but still want to add typing practice into their Mandarin learning routine to see how they improve over time.
This Chinese typing test assesses one’s speed and accuracy at typing in Chinese.
Similar to 10 Fast Fingers, you type the correct pinyin for the displayed hanzi.
The main difference is that you’ll have the opportunity to correct yourself if you miss a character. You can do this during the test by pressing the backspace key.
In addition, different parts of the test are color-coded for efficiency.
3. Take Courses That Include Typing and/or Writing in Chinese
Taking a course that includes writing Chinese characters is an additional resource for further improving your typing skills.
It will also help improve your Chinese reading and writing as well as provide accuracy skills when typing Chinese characters.
Chinese Characters for Beginners is an online course offered by Peking University via Coursera and is designed specifically with the beginner learner in mind.
Throughout the course, you’ll be taught basic Chinese stroke elements, 1200 basic Chinese words, and 240 common Chinese characters.
Exercises in this class involve translating English and pinyin into hanzi.
Some course content is available for free, but if you buy Coursera Premium, you can access the course in its entirety.
4. Practice Chinese Handwriting and Reading
As you practice writing characters out by hand—using the proper stroke order—you’ll find that you’ve memorized hanzi and their respective pinyin.
Repetition is the best form of practice. Plus, becoming familiar with writing Chinese characters is an ideal skill to have in the long run.
To get you started, here are a few printable writing sheets to help you practice writing in Chinese:
As we mentioned above, if you want to connect with others online in Mandarin Chinese, it’s essential to learn how to type in Chinese.
Additionally, applying for jobs that require Mandarin language skills or taking on opportunities to study abroad provides additional benefits if you’re able to type in Chinese successfully: opening a whole new world to you.
There are so many great resources out there to help you become proficient at Chinese typing, and this guide is your stepping stone to get started!
Good luck with your language learning journey and keep on typing!
If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU.
FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.
FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.
FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.
FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.
The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.
