What is the difference between Mandarin and Cantonese?

Mandarin and Cantonese are related languages that people often get confused. These languages are used by different groups of people who exist in different locations. Mandarin is the language which is dominantly used in Taiwan and Mainland China. Cantonese is commonly spoken in the capital city of Canton in Guangdong, China. Cantonese is also the preferred language for the overseas European, Australian, and North American Chinese populace.

The trend is on an upswing in many Mandarin dialect users regardless of where the language was originally spoken. Another significant difference between Mandarin and Cantonese is pronunciation. Both languages are pronounced differently, even if they are written almost identical. Cantonese is more complicated because it possesses six tones and uses several oral expressions, while Mandarin has only four tones with less unique expressions.

Mandarin and Cantonese are two different types of languages that are spoken by people of different locations. Many people use to think both languages are the same, the truth they might appear related, but they are not the same. Mandarin is the official language of Taiwan and China and one of four official languages in Singapore. Mandarin is the most spoken language in this region; you will even see students speaking the language in the school.

Cantonese, on the other hand, is the Chinese language mainly spoken in the south-eastern part of Mainland China, Guangdong. Cantonese is the most preferred Chinese language by Chinese people living in different overseas. Another difference is that, although both languages use the same characters, they are pronounced differently. Cantonese uses 6 to 9 different kinds of tone. As a result, it is a bit hard to learn. Mandarin uses just four tones and is easy to learn.

Mandarin and Cantonese are two languages that the Chinese use. Mandarin is the language used in mainland China and Taiwan, while Cantonese is mainly used in Guangxi and Guangdong. Both are used in Chinese countries around the world, but Cantonese is more often spoken in those communities. Mandarin uses four tones, while Cantonese uses nine tones.

This is why Cantonese is harder to learn because with each tone, the same word can have a different meaning. Cantonese hasn't evolved much, compared to Mandarin which uses the new simplified characters. These characters were introduced in the 1950s, while Cantonese still uses the traditional characters.