If you want to be more widely understood, you should learn Mandarin. Nowadays with more and more trade and communication between Hong Kong and mainland China, more and more Cantonese speakers are learning Mandarin. Of course, if you plan to travel or work in China in the future, you can learn Mandarin.
Contents
Is it more useful to learn Mandarin or Cantonese?
Mandarin is easier to learn
As we covered above, Mandarin is easier to learn in regards to both writing and speaking. 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).
Is Hong Kong a good place to learn Mandarin?
The first one is that Hong Kong makes great contributions to students’ experience outside of the Chinese classroom, which is as important as their experience inside the classroom. Hong Kong is the place to enjoy a hybrid culture of the East and the West, and appreciate Hong Kong’s distinctive identity.
Is Cantonese or Mandarin more common in Hong Kong?
Cantonese remains dominant with 96% percent. As for Mandarin, 48% of Hong Kong’s population can speak it, compared to 46% of population that can speak English. Previously, English was the second most spoken language.
Should I learn Mandarin before Cantonese?
If you decide it makes sense to learn both Mandarin and Cantonese, most people recommend learning Mandarin first before conquering another Chinese dialect. It’s interesting that both dialects use pretty much the same characters for writing though. This is because the characters share the same roots.
Is Cantonese a dying language?
According to these experts, Cantonese isn’t dying at all. For now. “From a linguistic point of view, it’s not endangered at all. It’s doing quite well compared to other languages in the China region,” said Mr Lau.
Which language is easiest to learn?
And The Easiest Language To Learn Is…
- Norwegian. This may come as a surprise, but we have ranked Norwegian as the easiest language to learn for English speakers.
- Swedish.
- Spanish.
- Dutch.
- Portuguese.
- Indonesian.
- Italian.
- French.
How can I learn Cantonese for free?
Free Online Cantonese Resources
- Online Cantonese Classes. Cactus Online Cantonese Courses.
- Learn Cantonese Online: Dictionaries. WordReference.
- Learn Cantonese Online: Useful phrases. Loecsen.
- Learn Cantonese Online: Pronunciation. Forvo.
- Learn Cantonese Online: Chinese keyboard. Lexilogos.
- Learn Cantonese Online: Useful phrases.
Where can I learn Chinese in Hong Kong?
Take the Trip of a Lifetime and Learn Mandarin in Hong Kong
- Yale-China Chinese Language Centre.
- Hong Kong Language School.
- Q Language.
- Hong Kong Language Learning Centre.
- International Language Centre.
- Practical Mandarin Learning Centre.
- Hong Kong Institute of Languages.
Is Hong Kong good for students?
The home of both the highest-ranked Asian university in the QS World University Rankings (Hong Kong University at 23) and the number one university in the 2012 QS University Rankings: Asia (the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Hong Kong is truly an higher educational powerhouse.
Is it worth learning Cantonese?
In essence, Cantonese is the second most spoken Chinese language.Many would think that it is better to learn Mandarin Chinese because it is easier to study than Cantonese. However, it is still a very important language that is worth learning, especially for business.
Do Hong Kongers speak English?
English is one of the official languages in Hong Kong, and is used widely in the Government, academic circles, business and the courts. All road and government signs are bilingual. Those who spoke English or were taught English were considered the elite and upperclassmen.
What is the hardest language to learn?
Mandarin
Mandarin
As mentioned before, Mandarin is unanimously considered the toughest language to master in the world! Spoken by over a billion people in the world, the language can be extremely difficult for people whose native languages use the Latin writing system.
Can Chinese understand Cantonese?
No, they are completely different languages. Although Cantonese and Mandarin have many similarities, they are not mutually intelligible. This means that, presuming one has no significant exposure or training, a speaker of Mandarin will understand little to nothing of Cantonese and vice-versa.
Which is more difficult Mandarin or Cantonese?
Cantonese is by far the more challenging of the two languages, particularly for a beginning Chinese language learner. This is because there are more tones used in Cantonese (Cantonese uses up to nine tones, whereas Mandarin only uses four).
Will duolingo add Cantonese?
Cantonese is coming 🙂 !!!! Chinese (Cantonese) for Chinese speakers In the Duolingo Incubator.
Can you live in Hong Kong without knowing Chinese?
You don’t need Cantonese or Mandarin to live and work in Hong Kong in most cases.However, if you want to know the place you call home and interact with the people that share it with you, then you should learn Cantonese, at the very least. Perhaps focus on Mandarin if you go to the Mainland for business.
Does Shenzhen speak Cantonese?
Mandarin is the mother dialect of the Chinese language and is spoken in most provinces of China, including Shenzhen. Cantonese, however, is the dialect of the Guangdong Province and because the people of Shenzhen grow up speaking Cantonese, it’s widely spoken.
Is Shenzhen Cantonese?
While Shenzhen is located in the Southern Chinese province of Guangdong, where the local dialect is Cantonese, Mandarin is the official spoken language.While traveling in Shenzhen, you are likely to hear regional dialects from all parts of China.
Is Cantonese similar to Mandarin?
They are both tonal languages, though the tones are different and they are not mutually intelligible. As such, they cannot really be referred to as dialects because a Cantonese speaker cannot understand a Mandarin speaker and vice versa. In fact, this is the case with many of China’s “dialects”.
Is Mandarin hard to learn?
Mandarin Chinese
Interestingly, the hardest language to learn is also the most widely spoken native language in the world. Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons.But writing isn’t the only difficult part of learning Mandarin. The tonal nature of the language makes speaking it very hard as well.
