Cantonese vs Mandarin: What are the key differences?

Chinese is a special group of languages that includes both Mandarin and Cantonese.

Chinese is a collection of unique languages, which include Mandarin and Cantonese. As an English speaker, you may be familiar with various dialects, like British English, American English, and Australian English, among others, and can generally understand speakers of these dialects with ease, making them mutually intelligible. However, the same does not apply to Chinese dialects. Most Chinese languages are not mutually intelligible, and individuals speaking different dialects may find it challenging to comprehend each other. This is why there are numerous types of "Chinese" that one can learn as a second language.

Even though Mandarin and Cantonese are vastly different in pronunciation, they are considered the same language due to their shared historical origins and the use of the Chinese writing system. Both dialects mainly use the same characters to represent words.

If you find this confusing, don't worry. In the following sections, we will explore the differences between Mandarin and Cantonese in pronunciation, characters, vocabulary, and grammar. We will also provide guidance on which dialect to choose if you're interested in learning Mandarin or Cantonese.

Mandarin vs. Cantonese Overview

Mandarin and Cantonese can be found in different countries and cities

To begin with, it is noteworthy that Mandarin is the most widespread among the various Chinese dialects. This is because it serves as the official language in mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore, and is either official or recognized in Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, and even the United Nations.

Mandarin's extensive geographic reach can be attributed to its role as the lingua franca within the Sinosphere. Despite their native dialect, most Chinese speakers can communicate to some extent in Mandarin.

In Chinese, Mandarin is known as 普通话 (pǔ tōng huà), meaning "common language." Its recognition as a common language has also elevated its importance in educational settings throughout China, leading to Mandarin's predominance in Chinese television programs, films, and literature.

Furthermore, a significant proportion of the Chinese population speaks Mandarin as their primary language. Some of the regions and provinces with the highest number of native Mandarin speakers include:

• Beijing
• Hebei
• Shandong
• Inner Mongolia
• Shandong
• Henan
• Shaanxi
• Gansu
• Xinjiang
• Jiangsu
• Anhui
• Hubei
• Sichuan
• Guizhou
• Yunnan

On the other hand, Cantonese is primarily used in the southeastern part of China. The name Cantonese is derived from the former romanization of the Chinese city of Guangzhou, as well as the province of Guangdong, which was also formerly known as Canton. While it may seem like Cantonese is confined in Guangdong, but Guangdong is actually the most populous province in China, contributing to Cantonese being one of the top 20 most widely spoken languages worldwide.

In addition to those residing in and around Guangzhou, Cantonese is commonly spoken among the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America. Until the mid-20th century, Cantonese speakers made up the majority of Chinese migrants.

Substantial populations of Cantonese speakers can be found in the following areas:

• Guangdong
• Guangxi
• Hong Kong
• Overseas Chinese diaspora communities

All told, there are roughly 75 million native speakers of Cantonese worldwide.

Differences in pronunciation

Pronunciation disparities As established earlier, Mandarin and Cantonese are not mutually intelligible, with most words having distinct pronunciations. However, the phonetic differences extend beyond this— they also have unique tonal systems!

Mandarin employs four tones to distinguish words. Additionally, there is a fifth "neutral" tone, bringing the total number of tones in Mandarin to five.

Cantonese, on the other hand, uses nine tones to differentiate pronunciation! Of these nine tones, three are known as “checked tones,” which are used exclusively by syllables that end in a stop consonant or a glottal stop (-p, -t, -k).

These are the nine tones in Cantonese:

Character variations

As previously mentioned, the written form of Chinese is mostly consistent across dialects. However, given the significant pronunciation differences, you may wonder how Mandarin and Cantonese utilize the same characters.

In reality, standard written Cantonese is primarily based on written Mandarin. As a result, Cantonese speakers typically use Mandarin for non-informal writing situations. Cantonese is actually in a state of digraphia, meaning that there are two written standards for this dialect. In very informal settings and for Cantonese-specific words that are not present in Mandarin, speakers use a colloquial version of written Cantonese. In all other cases, Cantonese speakers use a form of written Chinese that is more similar to Mandarin.

This concept is not a new one, as Classical Chinese served as a shared written language until the early 20th century. Although not specifically linked to any particular Chinese dialect, all literate Chinese speakers adhered to the rules of Classical Chinese writing. However, during the 20th century, written Mandarin gradually replaced Classical Chinese, largely due to national initiatives aimed at improving literacy rates across mainland China.

Simplified vs traditional characters

A significant difference worth noting is the usage of traditional characters in Cantonese-speaking regions. In recent times, simplified Chinese is primarily used in mainland China and Singapore. However, Hong Kong and Macau, which are Cantonese-speaking regions, continue to use traditional characters for writing. Due to the success of the Hong Kong film industry, traditional characters are frequently seen in Cantonese-speaking areas.

It's crucial to note that Cantonese speakers in mainland China usually use simplified characters, whereas Mandarin speakers in Taiwan use traditional characters. Therefore, you cannot assume that traditional characters are indicative of Cantonese or that simplified characters signify Mandarin.

Cantonese-specific characters