Where to Learn the Chinese Language in San Francisco

San Francisco is a city with a huge and long established resident Chinese population, and so it is a very good place to study the Chinese language. Most classes tend to focus on the Mandarin dialect here, but there are some options for those interested in learning Cantonese. Let's take a look at some of the options that are available.

The City College of San Francisco, the local community college, offers elementary and intermediate Chinese classes, as well as classes on Chinese characters, Chinese culture and lessons in Mandarin designed specifically for speakers of other dialects. These are offered throughout the week, unfortunately due to recent school budget slashing, the only one offered online at present is the Chinese characters class. Tuition is $20 per unit and most classes consist of three units, so about $60 per class for tuition. Those who made a low income in the previous year can qualify for the Board of Governors waiver here, which makes all tuition free for the year for as many classes as you would like to take. Unfortunately, at this time CCSF does not offer any free non-credit classes in any Chinese subjects.

The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, located near the large Hilton at the intersection of Chinatown, North Beach and the Financial District on Kearny Street, holds Mandarin classes for adults and children in four ten-week sessions each year. Adult learning has three levels - "Beginner", "Advanced Beginner" and "Intermediate". Classes are a reasonable $150 for the whole session and parents can enroll their children in a Learn and Play class concurrent to their own class. Visit their website for more details.

The California Chinese Cultural Learning Studio at 5517 California Street offers both classes and private tutoring sessions. The classes are for children in first through eigth grade and cost $180 per month for two weekly classes on Tuesday and Friday nights. Children who participate can earn high school credit for foreign languages. Private tutoring is offered to people of all ages and experience levels by Pauline Kao. Lessons are usually two hours per week at a rate of $25 per hour. Your first session is free so you can evaluate if tutoring will be an effective method for you. Small groups can also arrange a group class. Call 415-831-8188 for more details.

While the San Francisco Public Library does not hold classes that I know of, they are a rich resource for lessons on tape, DVD and CD as well as books, especially at the main branch at the Civic Center and the Chinatown branch. Holders of a library card also have access to Rosetta Stone software. Check out this article for further details on the "e-card" that gives you access to these things.

Finally, it is worthwhile to keep an eye on the Tutoring & Lessons section of craigslist.org for San Francisco. With so many bilingual and multilingual people who speak Chinese as their native language, there are bound to be some tutors offering very attractive rates for lessons here and there.