What is the difference between Chinese and Mandarin?

What is the difference between Chinese and Mandarin?

Are Chinese and Mandarin the same language? Mandarin is a dialect of Chinese. Chinese is a language (Mandarin is one of the dialects of Chinese alongside Shanghainese, Cantonese and many more).

Why is Mandarin not called Chinese?

It does not come from Mandarin Chinese, which refers to itself as putonghua (or “common speech”) and China, the country, as zhongguo (or “Middle Kingdom”). It doesn't come from any other variant of Chinese, either. Its origins are Portuguese. This one word encapsulates an entire colonial history.

Do most Chinese speak Mandarin?

Mandarin is the official state language of China and the most widely spoken Chinese dialect in the country. It is spoken in many of the largest cities in China, including Beijing and Shanghai. ... Cantonese, however, is spoken largely in Hong Kong, as well as in Macau and the Guangdong province, including Guangzhou.

Can you call Mandarin Chinese?

In English-speaking countries, "Mandarin" is usually preferred for the spoken language. "Chinese" or "written Chinese" are correct for the written language.

Should I learn Mandarin or Chinese?

Likewise, if you're interested in working in most other parts of China, Mandarin will serve you better. This may explain why most students of Chinese language opt for Mandarin, as it opens up more opportunities. As a result, there are also more courses and materials available for learning to speak Mandarin Chinese.

Does Mandarin mean Chinese?

Here's the short answer: Mandarin is a form of the Chinese language. Some call it a dialect. Chinese is an umbrella language term that encompasses multiple dialects/languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, and more. ... Mandarin is a type of Chinese.

Why is Mandarin so difficult?

Mandarin Chinese is challenging for a number of reasons. ... Mandarin Chinese (the most common dialect) has four tones, so one word can be pronounced four different ways, and each pronunciation has a different meaning. For instance, the word ma can mean “mother,” “horse,” “rough” or “scold” — depending on how you say it.

Can everyone in China understand Mandarin?

China's Education Ministry says that about 400 million people - or 30% of the population - cannot speak the country's national language. Of the 70% of the population who can speak Mandarin, many do not do it well enough, a ministry spokeswoman told Xinhua news agency on Thursday.

Should I learn Chinese or Mandarin?

Likewise, if you're interested in working in most other parts of China, Mandarin will serve you better. This may explain why most students of Chinese language opt for Mandarin, as it opens up more opportunities. As a result, there are also more courses and materials available for learning to speak Mandarin Chinese.

Do Hong Kongers speak Mandarin?

Hong Kong's recent census report states that Mandarin is the second language most spoken on the island following Cantonese. Cantonese remains dominant with 96% percent. As for Mandarin, 48% of Hong Kong's population can speak it, compared to 46% of population that can speak English.

What languages are similar to Mandarin?

• Cantonese and Mandarin are dialects of the Chinese language and are both spoken in China. They share the same base alphabet , but as a spoken language they are distinct and not mutually intelligible.

Is Chinese traditional Mandarin?

• Mandarin (/ˈmændərɪn/ (listen); simplified Chinese: 官话; traditional Chinese: 官話; pinyin: Guānhuà; literally: 'speech of officials') is a group of related varieties of Chinese spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect , the basis of Standard Chinese or Standard Mandarin.

Is Mandarin Traditional or simplified?

• Mandarin (/ˈmændərɪn/ ( listen); simplified Chinese: 官话; traditional Chinese: 官話; pinyin: Guānhuà; literally: "speech of officials") is a group of related varieties of Chinese spoken across most of northern and southwestern China.

What is the best way to learn Chinese language?

• Confucius Institute : The best way to learn a new language is live, in person. Short of taking the trip overseas, signing up for a class is the next best thing. The Chinese government has set up language institutes across North America (and the globe) in affiliation with existing universities.