Mandarin vs Cantonese: What Is the Difference?
Mandarin and Cantonese are both Chinese languages, but when spoken, they are very different. A Mandarin speaker and a Cantonese speaker usually cannot understand each other.
Where each is spoken
Mandarin is the official language of mainland China and Taiwan, and one of the four official languages of Singapore. Around a billion people speak it. Cantonese is spoken in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau, and by many Chinese communities abroad, including in the UK.
The main differences
Mandarin has four tones plus a neutral tone. Cantonese has six main tones. Both use Chinese characters, but Hong Kong uses traditional characters, while mainland China and Singapore use simplified characters. Written Chinese is largely shared, but spoken Cantonese uses many words that Mandarin does not.
The same words in each language
| Chinese | Mandarin | English | Cantonese |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | Hello | nei5 hou2 |
| 我 | wǒ | I, me | ngo5 |
| 一 二 三 | yī èr sān | One, two, three | jat1 ji6 saam1 |
| 谢谢 / 唔该 | xièxie | Thank you (for a service) | m4 goi1 |
你好
nǐ hǎo
Hello
nei5 hou2
我
wǒ
I, me
ngo5
一 二 三
yī èr sān
One, two, three
jat1 ji6 saam1
谢谢 / 唔该
xièxie
Thank you (for a service)
m4 goi1
Cantonese here is written in Jyutping, a romanisation system like pinyin. The numbers show the tone.
Which should you learn first?
For most learners, Mandarin is the better start. It is spoken by far more people, it is used in business and travel across China, and there are many more learning materials. Cantonese makes sense if your family speaks it, or if you spend time in Hong Kong.
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