The Chinese language and its characters can seem so mystifying to us outsiders. But when you become a volunteer teacher in China, you can have a better experience if you can learn to read Chinese — at least some of the most common Chinese characters.

In her TED Talk video below, entrepreneur ShaoLan Hsueh walks through a simple video lesson on how to learn to read Chinese. She focuses on recognizing the ideas behind the Chinese characters and their meaning — building from a few simple forms to more complex concepts.

She used this approach to create a visual-based learning system called Chineasy. 

One of the products of Chineasy is Chineasy Tiles, an award-winning language learning tool designed to enhance playful learning in Chinese. It sells for $89 on her website.

Starting with 48 high frequency words, Chineasy Tiles allows learners to create more than 200 phrases and expand their vocabulary from those essential radicals. 150 pieces offer more than 10 ways to play and learn. The program also includes a Teacher’s Guide. A great way to learn to read Chinese!

So, consider following ShaoLan’s learning method on how to learn to read Chinese — especially before arriving to teach in China!