Is Cantonese the same as Mandarin?
Mandarin is the official language of China and the most widely spoken Chinese dialect in the country. …Mandarin is widely spoken in Singapore and Taiwan. CantoneseHowever, it is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong Province (including Guangzhou).
Can Mandarin speakers understand Cantonese?
Do not, they are completely different languages. Although Cantonese and Mandarin have many similarities, they cannot understand each other. This means that, assuming one does not have a lot of exposure or training, a Mandarin speaker can hardly understand Cantonese and vice versa.
Are Mandarin and Cantonese characters the same?
Technically speaking, Mandarin and Cantonese use the same characters But in reality, most Mandarin speakers have switched to the simplified characters adopted in the 1960s, while Cantonese continues to use traditional characters.
Are Cantonese and Mandarin different languages?
Therefore, Cantonese is not a regional variant of Mandarin, but a very different language. Cantonese and Mandarin have the same written form. Yang (1992) argues that written form is the criterion for distinguishing between languages and dialects, rather than « mutual understanding ».
Is it better to learn Cantonese or Mandarin?
So it seems Mandarin is more practical than CantoneseThis is not to say that learning Cantonese is a waste of time, for some it may be the better choice, but for most people who want to speak « Chinese » Mandarin is the right choice.
How similar are Mandarin and Cantonese?
24 related questions found
What is hello in Cantonese?
Hello It is the Cantonese pronunciation of « hello ». … hello, hello (haa1 lo3, nei5 hou2 aa3), which means « hello » and is usually used to greet someone who is not close. This is a more formal Cantonese greeting.
What is the hardest dialect to learn in China?
1. mandarin. Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin is challenging for a number of reasons.
Why is Chinese called Putonghua?
Ming Dynasty officials wore yellow robes, which may be why the « official » came a citrus. …the language spoken by Chinese officials became « Mandarin, » which is the English name of the language spoken by more than a billion people in China, still from Portuguese.
Do Hong Kong people speak Mandarin?
Percentage of Hong Kong residents who report that they speak Mandarin (known in mainland China as Mandarin or the « common language ») 48%barely more than 46 percent of Hong Kongers who speak English, according to census data (pdf) released this week.
How to reply thank you?
As we know, you should answer »You’re welcome « you’re welcome » (you’re welcome) When someone says « xiè xie » to you. However, many Chinese replied « do not use evil ». « bu yong xie » means « you don’t need to say thank you to me ».
Who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin?
Cantonese is spoken in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou and the South Nearby parts of China. Mandarin Chinese is spoken in Mainland China and Taiwan. Both languages are spoken in Malaysia and Singapore.
What is the hardest language to learn?
The 8 most difficult languages for English speakers in the world to learn
- mandarin. Native speakers: 1.2 billion. …
- Icelandic. Number of native speakers: 330,000. …
- 3. Japanese. Native speakers: 122 million. …
- Hungary. Number of native speakers: 13 million. …
- Korean. …
- Arab. …
- Finland. …
- polishing.
How long does it take to learn Mandarin Chinese?
The average learner takes only 15 weeks to reach Level 2 in Spanish or French, but it takes about 50 weeks to reach a similar level of Chinese.If you want complete fluency in Mandarin, you’d better plan to spend about 230 weeks, which is about 4 years.
Can Chinese speakers understand Japanese?
Do notNonetheless, a person may be able to understand most words written in Chinese characters in Chinese/Japanese/Korean newspapers. He/she can then connect enough characters together to understand what it might be writing. Learn Chinese, Korean and Japanese with Eggbun’s Lanny today!
Are Hong Kongers Chinese?
Most Hong Kong people are Cantonese Han descent, most of them have their ancestry in Guangdong Province. …the migration of Hong Kongers to the rest of the world accelerated in the years before Hong Kong was handed over from the UK to China in 1997.
What is hello in Hong Kong?
Neih hou (pronounced « nay-ho ») Used to say hello in Hong Kong.
What is the oldest Chinese language?
Chinese It is the oldest written language in the world, at least six thousand years old. Inscriptions in Chinese characters have been found in turtle shells dating back to the Shang Dynasty (1766-1123 BC), proving that the writing has existed for more than 3,000 years.
What is Mandarin called?
Mandarin, also called Northern ChineseChinese (Pinyin) Mandarin (« official language »), or (Wade-Giles Roman Pinyin) Mandarin, the most widely used form of Chinese.
Why choose Mandarin?
The choice of Mandarin is more of a political reason: Most of the ancient regimes for three thousand years have their capitals in the north around BeijingIt is also the capital of the Republic of China founded by Dr. Sun.
What is the rarest dialect in China?
Due to its long history and the isolation of the region that speaks it, Wenzhou dialect Its phonology is so unusual that it has been dubbed the most difficult dialect for Mandarin speakers to understand.
What is the language of the devil?
The devil mostly speaks a language of his own called chatter He made it up as he walked, but when he was very angry he spoke French well, although some who heard him said he had a strong Dublin accent. The name « Bellsybabble » is a pun on Beelzebub, « babble » and Babel.