Cantonese vs. Mandarin: Which Chinese Should I Learn?

If someone speaks Chinese, do they know both main varieties of the language, Cantonese and Mandarin? It’s a great question, and the answer can help curious learners looking to decide whether they should learn Mandarin or Cantonese.

From a bird’s eye view, the main difference between Mandarin and Cantonese is numbers. Over 1 billion people speak Mandarin, while roughly 90 million speak Cantonese as a first or second language. But there are other distinctions between China’s two most common tongues, as we’ll discuss later.

Combined, these two forms of Chinese make up the most widely spoken “national language” in the world, with approximately 1.3 billion speakers.Given the considerable numbers of Cantonese and Mandarin speakers, learning one or both languages has become increasingly popular. Should you learn Mandarin or Cantonese? Before you decide, let’s compare.

Are Cantonese and Mandarin Similar? Understanding the Basics

Cantonese and Mandarin are technically part of the Sinitic language family, which is a major sub-category of the Sino-Tibetan language. Highly analytic and vastly different from Indo-European languages (such as English), both languages share a common misconception: that each is just a “version” of Chinese (or Sinitic).

When thinking about what separates Cantonese vs. Mandarin, the first thing to realize is one thing they have in common: they’re each their own language. Nevertheless, Cantonese and Mandarin are similar enough in certain aspects, including:

• Sentence structure. Grammatically, both languages follow the same SVO (subject – verb – object) word order. Plus, definite and indefinite articles have no difference.
• Cultural roots. Chinese history goes back thousands of years and has one of the most interesting narratives of any culture – including linguistics. Whether you’re studying Mandarin or Cantonese, you’ll learn that each has its unique place in Chinese lore.
• Same character format and common vocabulary. At least for written communication, both languages can be read with mutual understanding. That’s because each language uses traditional Chinese characters. 

For vocabulary, the overarching Chinese national character – despite regional variations in customs and culture – has contributed common words and meanings that span both Cantonese and Mandarin. This is a helpful tool for Cantonese speakers learning Mandarin and vice versa.

Key Differences Between Mandarin and Cantonese

The principal differences between Mandarin and Cantonese are as follows:

• Consonants and vowels. Cantonese has a more sophisticated and complex collection of vowels and consonants. As a result, the spoken form of each language has easy-to-hear distinctions – especially when it comes to pronunciation. About that…
• Pronunciation. Just like the point above, the Cantonese pitch array is much more involved than Mandarin. The language has more than double Mandarin’s four basic tones, which contributes to the peculiar (at least to Mandarin speakers) form of spoken Cantonese.

Vocabulary and idioms. Wait – didn’t we just say vocabulary is a common bond between the languages? Sure…but there’s still enough contrast with the core vocabulary. Cantonese is generally more accepting of foreign loanwords, partly due to its maritime roots. Clever expressions follow vocabulary in every language, and these differences show in Cantonese and Mandarin idioms.

Quick Cultural Context: Cantonese vs. Mandarin

Cantonese is officially spoken in a tucked-away corner of southeast China, in Hong Kong and Macau. Because of this relatively small regional influence, Chinese citizens in this area of the country are very proud of their culture – including the Cantonese language. The Cantonese vs. Mandarin conflict burns more brightly in this part of China. While most Cantonese speakers know Mandarin, they prefer their own language.

Meanwhile, Mandarin is the official language in the rest of China, including parts of Formosa (Taiwan) and even Singapore. There are over a billion people in China, and the vast majority can speak Mandarin. It’s the lingua franca of Chinese politics, commerce, media, and culture. To put Mandarin’s influence in a global context, only English is spoken by more people.What about cultural crossover – can Cantonese and Mandarin speakers understand each other? To a certain degree. The vocabulary bond is helpful here, but the drastic differences in pronunciation, tone, and even regional accents make it very hard for mutual understanding.

Should I learn Mandarin, Cantonese, or Both?

With the basics covered in the Cantonese vs. Mandarin debate, it’s now time for the most important question: should you learn Mandarin or Cantonese?

It all depends on your personal goals and what you’re looking to achieve by acquiring a new Chinese language.

Just looking at the sheer number of people who speak each language, Mandarin obviously offers more expansive possibilities – you can have potential conversations with a billion more people speaking Mandarin than Cantonese. However, if you’re planning to travel to Hong Kong or Macau, Cantonese might make more sense.

Keep in mind that although the two languages share common words, they’re not mutually intelligible. So, learning one as a launch point to acquire the other will still take time. It’s not exactly starting from zero baseline knowledge, but some work is still required to learn both.With Pimsleur, learning Mandarin or Cantonese doesn’t seem like work at all – it’s fun! Our proven instruction format, based on the Pimsleur Method, enables you to speak and listen your way to conversational speaking. You can start speaking either language after your very first lesson. Sign up with a Premium or All Access subscription today, and get started on your learning journey…you’ll have a partner every step of the way with Pimsleur.