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InsightHorizon Digest

How do I start learning Cantonese

Author

William Taylor

Updated on April 02, 2026

As Group 5 languages, Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese Chinese need a good 2200 hours of study to properly learn.

How long will it take to learn Cantonese?

As Group 5 languages, Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese Chinese need a good 2200 hours of study to properly learn.

Which is easier to learn Cantonese or Mandarin?

Mandarin is easier to learn 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). In addition, because of its greater prevalence, it is easier to find Mandarin study materials than Cantonese study materials.

How can I learn Cantonese for free?

  1. Cantolounge. …
  2. Learn Cantonese. …
  3. EdUHK Cantonese Self-Learning Website/ 香港教育大學粵語自學平台 …
  4. FSI and DLI Cantonese Course. …
  5. Survival Cantonese – Self Learning Package by The Hong Kong Institute of Education. …
  6. Ilovelanguages.org Cantonese lessons.

How do you speak basic in Cantonese?

  1. Hello – Nei hou (你好)
  2. Thank you – Mm goy / Doh jeh (唔該/ 多謝)
  3. Good morning – Zou san (早晨)
  4. Excuse me (to get past someone) – Mm goy (唔該)
  5. Do you speak English? – Nei sik gong ying man ma? (你識講英文嗎?)
  6. Sorry – Dui mm jyu (對唔住)
  7. Where is the restroom? Qi sor hai bin dou? (廁所喺邊度?)

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.

How do you say hello in Cantonese?

1. Non Time-Sensitive Hello in Cantonese. The universal greeting in Cantonese is 你好, which literally translates as “you good.” Both of the syllables should be pronounced using rising tones, with the second tone slightly higher than the first. If someone says 你好 to you, you can simply respond with 你好 as well.

Is Cantonese Class 101 free?

You can sign up for a free account at ! You will have a free, lifetime account and a 7 Day Free Trial of Premium access.

Is Cantonese harder than Mandarin?

Cantonese is harder than Mandarin. Cantonese has a unique pronounication and has nine tones, it is relatively difficult enough for a foreigner compared to Mandarin, nevertheless, it requires lots of listening and practicing with a native Cantonese speaker to master the pronounication and the tones.

What does Hakka mean in Chinese?

The word ‘Hakka’ in Chinese is “客家”, pronounced kejia in Mandarin and meaning “guest people”.

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What's the hardest language to learn?

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 Cantonese speakers understand Mandarin?

However, the two languages are distinct when spoken. Mandarin speakers typically cannot understand Cantonese speakers, and vice versa.

What is the easiest language to learn?

  1. Norwegian. This may come as a surprise, but we have ranked Norwegian as the easiest language to learn for English speakers. …
  2. Swedish. …
  3. Spanish. …
  4. Dutch. …
  5. Portuguese. …
  6. Indonesian. …
  7. Italian. …
  8. French.

What does MK mean in Cantonese?

‘MK’ normally stands for Mong Kok, that most densly populated part of town. But MK can also be used in derogatory reference to a style reminiscent of the area’s markets. It’s a pejorative term for someone whose style is cheap and trashy.

How do you say I love you in Hong Kong?

1. Ngo5 Oi3 Nei5 (我愛你.) This is the common way to say I love you in Cantonese.

How do you say excuse me in Cantonese?

Please, excuse me or thank you (mm-goi) 唔該 This versatile word means “please”, “excuse me” or “thank you”, depending on the context.

What does lay Ho Ma mean?

How Are You (Cantonese) Lay Ho Ma, pronounced lay ho ma. I’m Very Good (Mandarin)

How do you respond to Ni hao ma?

Simple Responses in Chinese Friend: Ni hao ma? (how are you?) You: Wo hen hao! Xie xie. Ni ne? (I am very good, thanks.

Does Babbel teach Cantonese?

Babbel doesn’t offer most Asian languages Cantonese isn’t the only language that fails to appear on Babbel. Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Thai also don’t have a Babbel course.

Can you live in Hong Kong only speaking English?

People Hong Kong can generally speak English so there shouldn’t be any problem in your daily life and your work.

Is it better to learn Cantonese or Mandarin?

So it seems as though Mandarin is more practical than Cantonese. That’s not to say that learning Cantonese is a waste of time, and for some people, it may be the better choice, but for most people wanting to speak “Chinese”, Mandarin is the way to go.

What language is spoken in Guangdong?

CantoneseRegionPearl River Delta of Guangdong, eastern GuangxiLanguage familySino-Tibetan Sinitic Yue Yuehai CantoneseDialectsGuangzhou Xiguan Hong KongWriting systemWritten Cantonese Cantonese Braille Written Chinese

Is Cantonese Class 101 good?

CantoneseClass101 offers audio and video lessons (though they’re mostly audio) for learning Cantonese. … Their tends to be more content for beginners and the lesson structure could be improved. As such, it’s better as a supplementary tool for improving your Cantonese, rather than a standalone course.

How do you say hello in Hakka?

English客家話 (Hakka)Hello (General greeting)你好 (ngi2 ho3) 你好冇? (ngi2 ho3 mo?)Hello (on phone)噯(oi)How are you?你好冇? (ngi2 ho3 mo?)

Is Hakka a dying language?

However, Hakka dialect is the only major language in the 21st century that faces disintegration. It seems that with its tens of millions of people speaking Hakka, it is theoretically 1000 times safer than a minor language, but it has become one of the endangered languages, and the number of users is less than ever.

Is Hakka similar to Cantonese?

Hakka, like Cantonese, has six tones to distinguish meaning between words or word elements with the same series of consonants and vowels. Hakka also has many similarities with the Gan language, and, the two languages are sometimes classified as a single subgroup, Gan-Hakka languages.

What language is closest to English?

The closest language to English is one called Frisian, which is a Germanic language spoken by a small population of about 480,000 people. There are three separate dialects of the language, and it’s only spoken at the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany.

Can I learn 2 languages at once?

Yes! Learning two languages at once is certainly possible. … So, if you’re serious about reaching fluency in two target languages rather than just studying them for the fun of it, I recommend you don’t study them both at the same time.

What should I learn first in a new language?

  • Number 1: The Alphabet.
  • Number 2: Pronunciation.
  • Number 3: Basic Sentences.
  • Number 4: Key Verbs.
  • Number 5: Frequently-Used Vocabulary.

What language is WAYV?

When the group is together they all speak Mandarin. Ten and YangYang speak English to each other. Kun speaks Korean to Ten. All of them are fluent in Mandarin.

Is Cantonese the hardest language to learn?

Both Mandarin and Cantonese are Category V languages (the hardest category there is), which require around 2,200 hours of study to achieve the same level of proficiency.