Sage-Tips

What is the most widely spoken dialect in China?

Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin Chinese alone is the most widely spoken native language in the world: nearly a billion within China alone and 1.2 billion worldwide—a few hundred million people more than the next most widespread languages, Spanish and English.

Which is more widely spoken Mandarin or Cantonese?

Worldwide, there are about 66 million Cantonese speakers. Compare this with Mandarin, which is spoken by about 1 billion people worldwide. Of all languages, Mandarin is the most widely-spoken.

Is Cantonese a dialect of Chinese?

By the comprehensibility criterion, Cantonese is not a dialect of Chinese. Rather, it is a language, as are Shanghaiese, Mandarin and other kinds of Chinese. Most Western linguists classify them as “Sinitic languages”, not “dialects of Chinese”. (And some languages in China, like Uighur, are not Sinitic at all.)

Is Cantonese easier than Mandarin?

Mandarin is easier to learn Cantonese is seen to be more difficult because it has from 6 to 9 tones, each of which signify different things (while Mandarin only has 4 tones). In addition, because of its greater prevalence, it is easier to find Mandarin study materials than Cantonese study materials.

What language is spoken in Cantonese?

Cantonese is spoken by the people of Hong Kong, Macau and the wider Guangdong province , including Guangzhou (previously Canton in English). Most foreign Chinese communities, such as those in London and San Francisco, also speak Cantonese because historically Chinese immigrants hailed from Guangdong.

What is the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese?

Mandarin and Cantonese are two dialects of the Chinese language. Although they share a common alphabet, the spoken language is distinctly different from one another and mutually intelligible. The main difference between Mandarin and Cantonese is that Mandarin is spoken by a larger number of people and is the main language of China.

What is Mandarin vs Cantonese?

Mandarin vs. Cantonese: They are two SPOKEN styles/dialects of Chinese language. As an official spoken “dialect”, Mandarin is widely used in Mainland China, Taiwan area and Singapore. Cantonese is specifically targeted to HK audience only.

Is Cantonese simplified or traditional?

Cantonese is also one of the official spoken languages used in Hong Kong and Macao . In other words, simplified Chinese is the official written language used in mainland China, and traditional Chinese is the official written language used in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.