Mandarin Vs Cantonese - Which Language Should You Learn?

Is Chinese the same as Mandarin? What about Cantonese? And where is each language spoken? In this article, I will answer those questions.

"Chinese" as a language does not exist. "Chinese" is only the name of a group of languages, and Mandarin and Cantonese are part of that group. There are many Chinese dialects, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien and Teochew.

Mandarin and Cantonese, in that order, are the most important Chinese dialects. In the People's Republic of China, Mandarin is the language of administration. Education takes place in Mandarin, and you can be sure that if you meet an ethnic Chinese from China, they will speak Mandarin.

Mandarin is based on the language that was spoken in the North of China but through its usage as a government language, it is now spoken in the entire country. Apart from Northern China and Taiwan, Mandarin may not be the language people speak at home. They may speak another dialect at home but use Mandarin in school and at work.

Cantonese is the dialect spoken in the South of China, more precisely in Canton Province (Guangdong in Mandarin). This Southern Province is one of China's most entrepreneurial and richest. Throughout the centuries, many Cantonese migrants have moved to all parts of the world in search of business opportunities.

The early migrants did not speak Mandarin, so among overseas Chinese, Cantonese has long been more commonly spoken than Mandarin. These days, Cantonese is still very much alive in Southern China, and if you want to do business there, it will be a real advantage to speak at least some Cantonese. In fact, Cantonese has taken the role of a "secondary dialect" in the South of China. People who speak a different dialect at home (such as Teochew or Hokkien) speak Cantonese for their dealings with different dialect groups within Southern China.

If you want to move around freely in entire China, Mandarin will be the best language to learn. If you only really plan to deal with people from the south of China, you should learn some Cantonese phrases as well. Though the Cantonese people speak Mandarin, a few Cantonese phrases will go a long way to forge a closer bond.

Taiwan, just like Mainland China, uses Mandarin as its official language. Other dialects spoken are Hakka and Taiwanese Minnan (Taiwanese). You will feel absolutely free in Taiwan if you speak Mandarin.

Hong Kong is a case in itself. As it borders Canton province, Cantonese is the most spoken language. But unlike their Mainland counterparts in Canton province, most Hong Kongers have not learnt Mandarin in school, but English. In the Hong Kong metro, announcements are made in Cantonese first, then in English, and Mandarin is only the third language.

Before Hong Kong joined China in 1997, the city's education system did not give priority to Mandarin. With China's growing importance and accessibility, Mandarin is now emerging in Hong Kong. But you are still more likely to make yourself understood to a Hong Konger in English than in Mandarin. Cantonese is the first language. You will hear a lot of Mandarin spoken in the city as well, but these are generally Mainland Chinese who are visiting the city or working there.

Singapore is not originally an ethnically Chinese territory. The Chinese in Singapore are descendants from migrants that came mainly from Southern China. Historically, many Chinese dialects were spoken in Singapore, Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese being the most common.

However, for the last few decades, Mandarin has been taught in Singaporean schools and is now the unified language among Singapore Chinese. Older Singapore Chinese do not always speak Mandarin, but it is your best bet. There is a group of English educated older Chinese who do not speak Mandarin that well, though they may be fluent in Cantonese or other dialects. The younger generation (below 40) of Chinese Singaporeans speaks Mandarin rather well. They may speak Cantonese or other dialects at home, but they are generally less fluent than their (grand)parents.

Conclusion: you will not have a problem in Singapore to get around in English. If you want to forge closer bonds with Singaporean Chinese, learn Mandarin.

Hong Kong is still proudly speaking Cantonese, and will for decades to come. Although Mandarin is gaining importance. In the rest of the world, Mandarin is now more important than Cantonese.

A Dutchman currently living in Singapore, Guus has so far studied 7 languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Ancient Greek, Latin and Chinese ). He is passionate about travel, culture, languages and learning.

His website yago.sg features the courses of a growing number of Singapore language schools.