Teaching Chinese to the Magyars: My Journey in Hungary

When I tell people I taught Chinese in Hungary, their first reaction is usually surprise:

“Hungary? Is that related to the Austro-Hungarian Empire?”

Yes, Hungary may be a small country in Central Europe—about the size of Zhejiang Province, with a population less than half of Beijing’s—but it is full of history and cultural surprises. Most people have heard of Budapest (thanks to The Grand Budapest Hotel) before they’ve even heard of Hungary itself.

In 2015, I was sent as a Chinese teacher to the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc. My students included university undergraduates, staff, and employees of a partner company.

First Impressions: Language Barriers Everywhere

The hardest challenge was not teaching Chinese—but surviving Hungarian. Unlike most European languages, Hungarian is not Indo-European. It belongs to the Uralic family, closer to Finnish than to English or German, and is considered one of the most difficult languages in the world.

For example: “police.”

• English: police
• German: Polizei
• Spanish: policía
• Italian: polizia
• Polish: policja
• Swedish: polis
• …and in Hungarian? rendőrség.

That’s why even grocery shopping felt like a guessing game. I once spent minutes staring at a white package in the supermarket, debating: salt or sugar? Luckily, I picked the right one.

Breaking the Ice in My First Class

On my first day, I carefully wrote my name “姜珊珊” (Jiāng Shānshān) on the board. I asked students to read it, only to hear “Yáng Sān Sān.” In Hungarian, j sounds like ye,sh becomes s, and s becomes sh. Instead of correcting them sternly, I turned it into a funny moment. Students laughed, and I told them:

“Next time, I hope you won’t call me Sān Sān again!”

That first lesson ended with students greeting me cheerfully with “Ni hao!” as they left. But I was puzzled—why ni hao instead of zàijiàn (goodbye)? Later I learned that in Hungarian, the word “szia” means both hello and goodbye. A perfect example of cross-linguistic influence.

Teaching Challenges and Joys

Hungarians, like many Asian students, tend to be shy and hesitant to speak in class. My role was to encourage them, create a warm atmosphere, and make Chinese lessons enjoyable. Over the years, I had the privilege of teaching not only young students but also passionate lifelong learners:

• Edi, a retired professor fluent in six languages, who studied Chinese for four years and even emailed me in Chinese.
• István, a retired firefighter, who never missed class and once brought me an article about how learning languages prevents Alzheimer’s—along with a cake to share.
• Gyano, a factory worker nearing retirement, who attended every lesson despite exhausting shift work and became one of the best Chinese speakers in town.
• And one unforgettable 80-year-old man, who traveled hours by bike, train, tram, and bus just to attend my class. He had been to Shanghai and Tokyo, spoke multiple languages, and still carried his old Chinese dictionary everywhere. His dedication moved me deeply—what else could drive him, if not pure love for learning? 

The Real Bottleneck: Chinese Characters

In my four years of teaching, I realized the hardest challenge for European learners wasn’t tones or grammar—it was characters.

Many students performed well at beginner levels, where textbooks included pinyin alongside characters. But once pinyin disappeared (from level three onward), motivation often dropped sharply. That’s why I believe teachers must show the beauty of Chinese characters from the very beginning—make students feel that reading and writing characters is cool.

As French sinologist Joël Bellassen once advocated, a “character-centered approach” can truly sustain students’ long-term interest. When learners master characters through games, stories, and creative exercises, they gain confidence and keep learning further.

Looking Forward

Four years in Hungary gave me invaluable experience, but also a sense that I had reached a “ceiling.” That’s why I chose to stay on and pursue a PhD in linguistics at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. For me, happiness lies in continuing to grow—and helping others discover the joy of learning Chinese.

About the Author

Jiang Shanshan – Currently a PhD candidate in linguistics at Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary. Graduated from Beijing Language and Culture University (MA in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics). From 2015–2019, she served as a government-sponsored Chinese teacher at the Confucius Institute of the University of Miskolc, where she taught students from beginners to advanced levels, trained corporate employees, and directed HSK test administration.