Language Basics for Parents
Tones, pinyin and your first vocabulary — Mandarin fundamentals for parents starting from zero.
Jul 27, 2026
100 Essential Mandarin Words Every Baby Hears First
A categorized reference list of 100 everyday Mandarin words — family, food, body parts, animals, actions, feelings, colors, numbers — with pinyin and English.
Jul 10, 2026
Simplified vs. Traditional Chinese: What Should I Teach My Child?
The real difference between Simplified and Traditional Chinese, why spoken Mandarin isn't affected either way, and how to choose a writing system for your child.
Jun 24, 2026
Pinyin 101 for Parents Who Never Learned It
What pinyin actually is, why it's the fastest starting point for a parent who can't read characters, and the trickiest letter-to-sound traps for English speakers.
Jun 8, 2026
Greetings & Daily Basics: Your First 20 Phrases
Real Mandarin exchanges for morning, day, and night — the kind of conversational practice that builds a parent's own fluency and confidence to narrate.
May 22, 2026
The Four Tones (and a Half): A Parent's Quick-Start Guide
Why Mandarin's tones matter, how one syllable can mean five different things, and what parents actually need to know before narrating to their baby.