中国制造 → 'made in China'

Four characters printed on the back of thousands of things sold near you. You can already read two of them.

🎒 What you need

permission to walk to the shop or market with an adult
your eyes
paper and a pen

✋ Do this

Go to a shop, a market stall or your own kitchen shelf. Turn things over and look at the small print on the back.
Find any Chinese characters at all. Torch batteries, phone chargers, plastic basins, slippers, biscuit packets — start there.
Copy three characters you find onto your paper, exactly as they are printed, however hard they look.
Look for 中国 specifically. If you find 中国制造, you have just read 'made in China' — say it out loud: Zhōngguó zhìzào.
Bring your paper home and show someone the characters you copied and the ones you can name.
Add any character you now recognise to your flashcard pile.

💡 Why it works

The moment you read real Chinese that was not put there for a learner, the language stops being a school subject and becomes a thing that exists in your world. Learners who find the language in their own street practise far more than learners who only meet it in lessons.

🔥 Challenge

Challenge an adult to find Chinese writing in the house faster than you. You will win, because you know what you are looking for.

📖 New words

中国制造 Zhōngguó zhìzàomade in China

米 mǐrice

水 shuǐwater

茶 chátea

大 dàbig

小 xiǎosmall

🔎

Character Hunter

Tap when you have finished this module.