As many parents and educators know, a growing amount of research shows that learning a second language offers many benefits to brain development. But with so many languages to choose from, why study Chinese? Here are five of our favorite reasons:

1) Chinese is the world’s number one native language (English is number three, after Spanish). In addition to China’s home population of nearly 1.4 billion people, Chinese is spoken by diaspora throughout Asia and the world. In fact, about one fifth of the planet speaks Chinese.

2) Chinese is great for your career. China is the world’s second-largest economy, and will soon be number one. As China is also one of the U.S. biggest trading partners, Chinese language ability frequently gives job applicants an extra and important edge. Not in business? No problem. China’s rising profile on the international stage is creating a growing need for Chinese proficient professionals in law, politics, engineering, education and virtually every other professional sector.

3) Chinese is a living link to the ancient world. To study Chinese, ultimately, is to study the culture and people of China. Chinese culture boasts an over five-thousand-year-old continuous history, and its rich cultural traditions permeate the modern-day Chinese language. In effect, the study of Chinese offers us an extraordinary link back to the distant past—one that is not excavated from under the ground, but is still living and thriving today.

4) Chinese is not as hard as you may think. While it’s true the writing system and tones make Mandarin look and sound much different than languages like Spanish and German, Chinese grammar itself is relatively straightforward. Whereas Spanish requires the speaker to take into account how tense, number and gender can change word usage, Chinese has none of these things (yes, that means no verb conjugations!). For example, in English we have to learn when to use “eat/ate/eaten,” but in Chinese we only need to know “chi.”

5) Finally, studying Chinese is fun! Whether you’re living in China or taking classes here at Columbus School of Chinese, studying Chinese allows you to reinvent yourself—with a new name, new ways to behave and new ways to think. You’ll establish great camaraderie with your classmates, who are all in the same boat. You’ll find yourself doing things you never thought you would (try that spicy fish dish at your favorite Chinese restaurant—or take a semester teaching English abroad!). You’ll interact with interesting people who you would have never otherwise met (your teacher who used to be a famous TV host, or the lady who runs the noodle restaurant on the corner who was the youngest of 14 children). And no matter what, you’ll gain invaluable perspective on both the great culture of China and, more importantly, yourself.

We know it will be challenging, but we’re here to help. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step–let’s take that step together!