Should I learn Mandarin or Cantonese? 95% satisfaction rate. I want a language that will give me an edge, will impress employers and that will be useful to me in the future. If your goal is to learn the history of Chinese and connect with the roots of the language itself, then Cantonese will satisfy your urges. It is faster to learn a language when you have constant exposure to it. You can choose to learn Traditional Mandarin for intellectual or family reasons but for most people looking to add the Chinese language to their skill sets, simplified should be more than suitable. Study Cantonese reading online with the best private teacher in Dallas, TX via Skype! Mandarin is the only official language of China. If u only learn Cantonese, u will be in trouble in other areas. Starting from $9/hr. We are proud of our identity as Hong Kongers and we want our city to remain the way it is, rather than being assimilated by China. This is because the entire China is uniform in its written language, but many local dialects prevail in … Another example is the Mandarin word that means ‘must/should’ in its first tone, is understood to mean ‘respond to/deal with’ in its fourth tone. This alone makes learning Cantonese worthwhile. Cantonese sounds more laid-back and common, and it's much funnier sounding. BEFORE considering whether you should learn Cantonese of Mandarin Chinese. I want to learn either Mandarin or Cantonese. Upon deciding to learn Mandarin Chinese, you need to choose whether you’ll learn Simplified or Traditional as a writing system. And because of historical, cultural and political reasons, we simply don't like Mandarin, or just any influence from mainland China. After all, it’s not much use when you start learning Mandarin Chinese (for example) and then find out the core reason why you’re learning actually speaks Cantonese! Cantonese compare to Mandarin is mainly an oral language. The national Chinese language is Mandarin and you should learn Mandarin. Cantonese and English are the official languages of Hong Kong. Mandarin (/ ˈ m æ n d ər ɪ n / (); simplified Chinese: 官话; traditional Chinese: 官話; pinyin: Guānhuà; lit. Welcome to China and good luck! Ultimately, learn the language that gets you excited to get up and at it in the morning. In the language learning subreddit people say "what language should I learn" and the correct answer is always "whatever language you genuinely feel excited about learning. If you want to integrate, you should learn Cantonese. My learning is simply for conversational use, and I may be traveling to Hong Kong or mainland China. Cantonese is our language. Cantonese is a local dialect, and when people from Hong Kong write in Chinese, it comes out to be Mandarin. Unless you’re planning on moving to Hong Kong or you have a specific job lined up in the south of China, then I would recommend learning Mandarin. No commitments or expensive packages. Even more so if staying in the region where it is spoken. I live in San Francisco and my mother-in-law speaks neither English or Mandarin--just Cantonese. I'm Chinese. Now, should you learn Cantonese or Mandarin? Cantonese speakers use standard mandarin Chinese when they read and write. Welcome to China and good luck! It's also supposed to be increasing in popularity. Episode Summary: Mandarin is the main international Chinese language, with around 1bn speakers Cantonese is a related language/dialect of Mandarin, with far fewer speakers - around 60m In many Chinatowns around the world, Cantonese is spoken, due to historical migration However, Mandarin is the dominant language worldwide by far The … Should I learn Mandarin or Cantonese. Mandarin to me sounds much sweeter and kinder, the kind of language that sounds great in a song or love poem. I want to be able to communicate with his grandparents so I want to learn one of the two languages. I got some Cantonese ancestry since they immigrated to California. As someone who speaks Chinese, there is one question that has always irritated me: “Do you mean you speak Mandarin or Cantonese?” I am here to tell you why you should stop asking people this. It's a personal choice for me. But I think you should learn cantonese, since most people in your area speak it. No, you shouldn't. Fear not – here’s a guide to help you! I think that initially, Mandarin/Cantonese will be the most difficult to tackle then gets easier as you learn, while Japanese is a bit less difficult in the beginning but becomes increasingly difficult. I speak Cantonese, I don't speak Mandarin, but I know a fair bit about it because I have many colleagues who work with Mandarin and in Mandarin. Suggestions. Should I learn Mandarin or Cantonese? Someone Said I should Skip Cantonese And Learn Mandarin. Just my opinion, tho. Then, overtime (and mixing) the language gets lost so I don’t know any Cantonese, only English and Spanish. Also because it sounds great. Hopefully this article will give you some guidance. Cantonese has a longer history than Mandarin does and the Chinese cultural context it carries is richer than Mandarin. Cantonese also has the same characters in simplified and traditional. For many Mandarin-speaking Mainlanders, Cantonese songs are the main reason to even start learning Cantonese in the first place and you can be sure to find a broad variety of Cantonese songs at any KTV place in China. I know this has been asked many times, but i would still like to make sure whichever i learn first (i plan to learn both) is applicable. More than 14 reviews. Currently, Cantonese and Mandarin combined is the third most spoken non-English language in the U.S. so learners of the language could have Cantonese-speaking friends who can help them learn it. "Should I learn Mandarin or Cantonese if I live in Hong Kong" is the question asked by many expats. If u want to learn Chinese, I think u'd better learn Mandarin first, cuz the pronunciations of most dialects are based on Mandarin. This question comes up surprisingly often, and I think it probably stems from people not realizing what the distinction is and what the relevant information is. Daco asks: "Should I learn Mandarin or Cantonese?" Japanese uses a form of Chinese characters in their writing system, called Kanji. I'm Chinese. 89.5% of the population in Hong Kong speak Cantonese. Children in China are taught Mandarin in school and Mandarin is the language for national TV and radio so fluency is fast increasing. There are many more speakers of Mandarin than there are of Cantonese. Now you’ve seen the difference between Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese, it’s really up to you! Especially if you are trying to learn Cantonese within Mainland China, songs and KTV should be a familiar measure to you. Hong Kong Cantonese is a dialect of the Cantonese language of the Sino-Tibetan family. I want to take a nightschool class this fall to learn either Mandarin or Cantonese, and I don't know which one is more accepted or what the difference is between the two. Just like Mandarin, the Cantonese language is also a tonal language. Cantonese is a significant part of Hong Kong history and is highly protected by its people. While Cantonese may not be as widely spoken as Mandarin, it does have its uses. No, cantonese and mandarin both use traditional characters, but mandarin uses more simplified. It is the official and native language of Hong Kong, China.A similar dialect is also spoken in Macau, China.. Final thoughts. U should know that each province has its own dialect in China. If u only learn Cantonese, u will be in trouble in other areas. Mandarin appears to fit these descriptors. So if you learn one of them, you'll be able to read both of them. I also want to eventually teach English to Chinese. U should know that each province has its own dialect in China. If u want to learn Chinese, I think u'd better learn Mandarin first, cuz the pronunciations of most dialects are based on Mandarin. In the mainland, this mainly means simplified Chinese characters, while in Hongkong and Macau traditional characters are used. "That said, Cantonese is *much* harder to learn, not because the language is harder itself, but because: All jokes in the world should be told in Cantonese, as it makes everything sound more amusing. Cantonese, a Chinese spoken variant originating from Guangzhou city in Guangdong province is the native dialect in Hong Kong. I really like the structure of the lessons in these books, slowly increasing vocabulary with lots of drills for youn to practice with. https://china-underground.com/.../20/mandarin-vs-cantonese-language-learn There has been a big push in the last ten to fifteen years to learn Mandarin, but people who call Hong Kong home put Cantonese first. Ok so I’m in the fence in learning one or the other. (I assume it'll be primarily oral...) I know that Mandarin is the more "official" of the two languages, but everyone here in Toronto seems to speak Cantonese, and I know that's the language of Hong Kong as well. And it sounds more expressive over all. If you’re wondering which you should learn consider this: Simplified Chinese should do the trick. Which Language Should I Learn? Your thoughts? I've heard Mandarin is easier to learn, more common in most of China and has more resources to help learn it. If you’ve already learnt a language with nine tones, then you’re easily going to master a language with just four of them. hmmm…slight problem there… Track the Trend.