Masterclass: 100 Essential Characters

Dates:

Time:

Location:

Duration:

22 April – 27 May, Wednesdays

7:00-8:30 pm

Online

6 weeks (9 hrs)

£225.00

Practice At Your Pace

We keep things student-centered, with plenty of guidance to ensure you never feel rushed or left behind.

Personalised Support

We focus on your individual challenges in a small-group setting (max 5 students).

Learn With A Smile!

We believe learning should be enjoyed, not endured. Expect fun, engaging lessons that don’t feel like work!

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Love your learning experience or get a full refund. No questions asked.

About THE course

Let’s be honest: memorising Chinese characters the “old way” can feel like a bit of a nightmare. Most of us start by trying to draw them like random pictures, only to find they just don’t “stick” a few days later. It feels like an uphill struggle against thousands of complicated symbols!

But here’s the secret: You don’t need thousands of characters to feel literate.

The 100-Character Shortcut

It sounds wild, but scientific research proves the top 100 characters that actually make up about 42% of modern written Chinese. By mastering these “High-Leverage 100” with us, you aren’t just learning a list—you are unlocking the ability to decipher nearly half of every sentence you see on a menu, street sign, or website.

It is the single most efficient way to start your literacy journey.

Ready to decode 42% of Written Chinese in just 6 Weeks?

What can you expect?

No “rote” learning. Just stories. We don’t believe in writing the same character 100 times until your hand cramps. Instead, we use Radical-Storytelling:

The "Lego" Approach: We’ll show you the 40+ "building blocks" (radicals) that make up almost every character. Once you see the blocks, you can’t "un-see" them.
Vivid Stories: We turn abstract lines into memorable stories. It’s much easier to remember a quirky tale than a random squiggle.
Real-world Context: We’ll show you how these characters actually pop up in daily life, so you’re ready to use them the second you leave the "classroom."

What Our Students Say

"I decided to take the Character Workshop after my second course with China Unbound as I am quite keen to learn to write as well as speak Chinese. The content was simple but effective. It really took you back to the basics. My tutor is very engaging and made each session interesting. The atmosphere was always relaxing and I always felt encouraged to ask questions. I would definitely recommend the workshop for those starting out to set the foundation or those more experienced looking to 'get the basics right'"

Banke Adetayo

London

"I can thoroughly recommend China Unbound's Character Workshop as a way of getting the basics of mandarin characters, understanding how the characters evolved over time and how they are used in everyday language. Grace, my tutor, has given me a great foundation for reading characters, as I continue my study of mandarin with her at China Unbound."

Linda Linehan

London

"I chose to attend the workshop because I had no prior knowledge of characters. It gives you a good grounding and helps you notice patterns that are critical for understanding Chinese characters. As of today, I inadvertently see similarities in characters when putting on movie subtitles which makes me feel that I have achieved something big. The tutor is friendly and makes learning interactive so that it is not a mere slideshow. I would highly recommend the course to anybody who wishes to satisfy their curiosity."

Felix Gyamera

Greater London

FAQs

I can learn from an app/Youtube videos. Why should I consider taking classes?

Because you’ll hit a ‘wall’ at some point. Apps and videos are great for practice, particularly for characters, vocabulary and grammar patterns. However, when you learn through Apps and videos, your speaking and listening tends to be weaker, and you can’t get clarification for things you don’t understand. We find students who learn from Apps and videos tend to have a wider vocabulary bank but struggles more at using them in the correct context.

In addition, as you progress, what you don’t understand earlier also becomes a bigger problem as knowledge are built on each other. Having the support and guidance from an experienced teacher helps you overcome this.

If you are serious about learning and want to make the most of your time to make good progress, taking classes is a better option especially for a language like Chinese. Learning in a group class also gives you the benefit of learning with others and keep to the motivation going!

In addition, as you progress, what you don’t understand earlier also becomes a bigger problem as knowledge are built on each other. Having the guidance and support from an experienced teacher helps you overcome this.

Private tuition also allow for maximum flexibility to work on your weaknesses and tailor the pace and content entirely to your needs.

If you are serious about learning and want to make the most of your time to make good progress, taking classes is a better option especially for a language like Chinese.

Why the China Unbound approach works?

In short, because we believe learning should be enjoyed, not endured; because we believe in the power of application (not regurgitation); we believe in the importance of practical content; and we believe that a relaxed and safe environment to make mistakes are vital to learning.

Our lessons are personalised, we pay attention to each student’s goals, strengths, weaknesses and target timeframe for fast and sustained progress.

Our teachers all have a strong command of English, enabling us to make the complex and nuances clear and easy to understand.

Our focus is to help you truly learn – so we challenge you to apply, not blindly regurgitate, to understand the ‘3D’ meaning of words, not just its meaning in a single context, and to immerse in cultural field trips within each course as well as our language meetups to build confidence!

Where are the offline classes based in?

In Central London, 10 minutes walk from Liverpool Street, Moorgate and Shoreditch High Street.

How much time do I need to allocate outside of classes to study?

For every 1.5 hour lesson, at least 1.5 or 2 hours outside should give you good progress. Space this over 20 mins each day will make it easier and also help you remember more too!

How long will it take for me to be able to do the basics in Mandarin?

Everyone has a different definition of basics! But if you want to be able to do basic greetings, introduce yourself, your job, family (and asking others), and to order simple food and drinks, it is achievable in 3 – 4 months. (our Beginner 1 course covers all the above). Obviously how fluent you are would depend on how much work you put in yourself, but to function at that basic level, it takes much less time than you may imagine.

How long will it take for me to be fluent in Mandarin?

Good question (though not an easy one)! It depends on the intensity of your study, for example, someone who has time for 4 hours a week and immerse themselves in the language on a daily basis (e.g. through watching TV programmes, reading books, listening to podcasts etc) will achieve fluency faster than someone who can spend only 2 hours a week.

As a general guide, if you do 1.5 hour lessons per week, plus 1.5 to 2 hours study outside of the class as advised by us, you can expect to achieve reasonable fluency as our learning map outlines.

I can’t decide on what I need.

What you need is based on a combination of your objectives, target timeframe, your learning history, how familiar you are with the language now, your strengths, weaknesses, interests, your availability and budget. Contact us and we can talk you through the options!