<p>Hope this will help:</p>

<p><strong>From a % speakers/opportunity to practice perspective:</strong></p>

<p>In the world, 12.44% of the total population speaks Mandarin (obviously heavily skewed by China's massive population, but still 12.44% nonetheless), compared to 4.83% native English speakers, and a measly .89% Cantonese speakers. (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers</a>)</p>

<p>In China, more than half of the population of 1.4 billion (53%) speaks Mandarin. And 66% of city residents speak Mandarin.</p>

<p>In Taiwan, heavy majority Mandarin speakers (don't have %), some Hakka, some Taiwanese, and virtually no Cantonese presence. </p>

<p>In typically majority-Cantonese population provinces:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Guang Zhou: percent of Cantonese speakers has dropped below 50%, and Mandarin is on the rise.</p></li>
<li><p>In Hong Kong, majority of residents speak English and Cantonese, and many understand Mandarin. </p></li>
</ul>

<p><strong>From a learning perspective:</strong></p>

<ul>
<li>Mandarin Chinese has 4 tones</li>
<li>Cantonese has 6 tones</li>
</ul>

<p>It's generally much easier for students to learn Mandarin over Cantonese.</p>

<p><strong>From a future perspective:</strong></p>

<ul>
<li>The Chinese government is trying to sell Mandarin as the basis for other dialects, and uses that in most government jobs and mandates it as a base language in schools. That being said, you'll most likely find Mandarin to overwhelmingly overtake Cantonese soon. (<a href="http://yolearnchinese.com/archives/mandarin-or-cantonese" rel="nofollow">http://yolearnchinese.com/archives/mandarin-or-cantonese</a>)</li>
</ul>

<p>So it depends on your goals...</p>

<p>If you know you want to work, live or study in Hong Kong, then learn Cantonese... But if your goal is to learn a language that you'll have many opportunities to use worldwide/in the business world, then Mandarin is the language to learn. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T03:58:40.277Z
I'm going to live in Hong Kong and at the same time I don't want and have no capacity to learn 2 Chinese languages. So it's not clear yet.
Alan Coromano
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T12:17:01.313Z
Marius, if I've answered your question please consider accepting
user3871
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T12:46:09.667Z
sorry, not yet.
Alan Coromano
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-07T13:02:58.430Z
Cantonese has 6 tones. I don't know where you get the "majority of residents speak English" part but it's widely optimistic. English fluency is probably at its lowest. It's definitely much worse today than 20 years ago.
dda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-07T15:07:42.330Z
My mistake on the tones- not sure where "9" came from. As far as English presence in Hong Kong- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Hong_Kong suggests that English is widely use in the workplace. Other sites, http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100109082312AAvroFh suggest that you can communicate easily in English. Where are your sources from?
user3871
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-03T11:51:03.307Z
@AlanCoromano  By now I think you should accept this answer.
Colin McLarty
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T03:19:44.857Z
2013-09-07T15:07:58.910Z
2013-09-07T15:07:58.910Z
user3871
<p>I can only speak from my experience.</p>

<p>But I suggest</p>

<ol>
<li><p>If you are going to live in Hong Kong for a long time, learn Cantonese</p></li>
<li><p>Otherwise learn Mandarin</p></li>
</ol>

<p>I started learning Mandarin back in the UK, but ended up living in Hong Kong for 3.5 years.</p>

<p>Through hard work my Mandarin has improved, but Hong Kong is not a good place to learn Mandarin.</p>

<p>A few reasons why this is the case;</p>

<ul>
<li>Hong Kong mandarin isn't native - you will learn a few cantonese pronunciation and vocabulary bad habits</li>
<li>Language lessons are very expensive, and largely focused at business people</li>
<li>Cantonese is much better if you want to fit in socially</li>
</ul>

<p>Of all the other places I've spent time (Shenzhen, Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore) unquestionably Mandarin is the right language to learn. But you should probably learn a little bit of the local dialect (Shanghainese in particular will open a few more doors)</p>

<p>If you plan to stay in Hong Kong for just a short time (a year or so) then I'd also say Mandarin is the right way to go.</p>

<p>Depends on your life plans. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T15:05:26.237Z
2013-07-03T15:05:26.237Z
Matthew Rudy 马泰
<p>A dialect or rather a language. Of course, Mandarin is the most popular one. But nonetheless, in Hong Kong, for instance, Cantonese is more popular, it's almost the one Chinese language there and people don't speak Mandarin (at all?).</p>

<p>There are other ones. And now I'm confused and can't start because I hesitate whether the language I want to learn will be useful and understood by Chinese people in many situations and countries.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T02:22:41.550Z
You already know Mandarin is the most popular one and Cantonese is very likely the second, then what are you asking for?
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T02:23:52.110Z
I think a language is rewarding if you can _speak it with other people_. Who might you be speaking this with? If you're living in Taiwan, then Taiwanese Min could be fun and rewarding to learn. In HK or Guangdong, Cantonese. In Shanghai, Shanghainese. In Italy, Wenzhounese (lol).
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T02:23:54.133Z
Cantonese is not very likely the second
Alan Coromano
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T02:56:03.757Z
@Stan, that's exactly what I'm asking about. If a Chinese person don't speak Mandarin in a daily life, will they be able to understand Mandarin as well?
Alan Coromano
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T03:05:40.400Z
Again, where will you be / who will you be interacting with? My limited experience in HK was that many people's Mandarin was often worse than their English. On the mainland, I found Mandarin to be more than enough to get by with except in one small town where many locals had limited Mandarin proficiency.
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T03:34:31.427Z
@MariusKavansky I'm living in Hong Kong now. Roughly speaking, students and educated people won't have problems in understanding Mandarin (as said in Growler's answer, primary schools teach Mandarin now), but maybe some older people will (as they never learn Mandarin at school or by themselves). Anyway, Pete's and Growler's advice is quite right.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T04:01:07.473Z
@Stan, by the way, do Hong Kong understand English well? I've heard different things about that.
Alan Coromano
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T04:33:32.390Z
@MariusKavansky it depends on who you will meet and how well you expect they can understand. In places like schools, McDonald's, international companies, government offices, English would be well accepted. It seems impracticable to communicate with every local people freely in English, though more or less they can understand some as Hong Kong was once a British colony.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T07:10:33.313Z
@MariusKavansky: As it stands now, it appears your question may end up being closed because it's worded in a way that is overly broad and will likely elicit a lot of varying opinions. It may help if you edit your question to refocus it along narrower lines and add the context you added in your subsequent comments (e.g., "Is it more useful to learn Mandarin or Cantonese if living in Hong Kong?").
Claw
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T08:50:50.560Z
@Claw, I'm not asking about Hong Kong, I just mentioned it ("for example").
Alan Coromano
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-03T23:32:47.013Z
Voted to close. Too obviously opinion-based.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-04T01:03:56.837Z
@MariusKavansky - Thanks for your question. I think the root of your question is 'should I learn a dialect or learn the common language'. The common language is common for a reason, so it far outnumbers any dialect. This would then lead to the question of which dialect and that is a personal choice and would lead to subjective answers.
going
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-04T01:06:18.457Z
This question is off-topic because it is asking about any dialect being more understood than the main language. The common language is common is spoken by far more people within and outside of China than any Chinese dialect. Closing as general knowledge.
going
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-07T13:10:32.617Z
Learning Mandarin while living in HK is about useless as A/ most natives have only a passing knowledge of it; B/ the Cantonese accent makes it hard to understand when they speak Mandarin; C/ You won't be able to practice on a daily basis in the city. Then again, if you learn Canto, you won't be able to practice much either, as locals refuse to speak Cantonese with non-natives.
dda
<mandarin><cantonese><topolect>
Which Chinese dialect is it rewarding to learn?
# Which Chinese dialect is it rewarding to learn?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-07-03)

A dialect or rather a language. Of course, Mandarin is the most popular one. But nonetheless, in Hong Kong, for instance, Cantonese is more popular, it's almost the one Chinese language there and people don't speak Mandarin (at all?).

There are other ones. And now I'm confused and can't start because I hesitate whether the language I want to learn will be useful and understood by Chinese people in many situations and countries.

**Tags:** mandarin, cantonese, topolect

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You already know Mandarin is the most popular one and Cantonese is very likely the second, then what are you asking for?  
> **username_2**: I think a language is rewarding if you can _speak it with other people_. Who might you be speaking this with? If you're living in Taiwan, then Taiwanese Min could be fun and rewarding to learn. In HK or Guangdong, Cantonese. In Shanghai, Shanghainese. In Italy, Wenzhounese (lol).  
> **username_0**: Cantonese is not very likely the second  
> **username_0**: @username_3, that's exactly what I'm asking about. If a Chinese person don't speak Mandarin in a daily life, will they be able to understand Mandarin as well?  
> **username_2**: Again, where will you be / who will you be interacting with? My limited experience in HK was that many people's Mandarin was often worse than their English. On the mainland, I found Mandarin to be more than enough to get by with except in one small town where many locals had limited Mandarin proficiency.  
> **username_3**: @MariusKavansky I'm living in Hong Kong now. Roughly speaking, students and educated people won't have problems in understanding Mandarin (as said in Growler's answer, primary schools teach Mandarin now), but maybe some older people will (as they never learn Mandarin at school or by themselves). Anyway, username_2's and Growler's advice is quite right.  
> **username_0**: @username_3, by the way, do Hong Kong understand English well? I've heard different things about that.  
> **username_3**: @MariusKavansky it depends on who you will meet and how well you expect they can understand. In places like schools, McDonald's, international companies, government offices, English would be well accepted. It seems impracticable to communicate with every local people freely in English, though more or less they can understand some as Hong Kong was once a British colony.  
> **username_4**: @MariusKavansky: As it stands now, it appears your question may end up being closed because it's worded in a way that is overly broad and will likely elicit a lot of varying opinions. It may help if you edit your question to refocus it along narrower lines and add the context you added in your subsequent comments (e.g., "Is it more useful to learn Mandarin or Cantonese if living in Hong Kong?").  
> **username_0**: @username_4, I'm not asking about Hong Kong, I just mentioned it ("for example").  
> **username_5**: Voted to close. Too obviously opinion-based.  
> **username_6**: @MariusKavansky - Thanks for your question. I think the root of your question is 'should I learn a dialect or learn the common language'. The common language is common for a reason, so it far outnumbers any dialect. This would then lead to the question of which dialect and that is a personal choice and would lead to subjective answers.  
> **username_6**: This question is off-topic because it is asking about any dialect being more understood than the main language. The common language is common is spoken by far more people within and outside of China than any Chinese dialect. Closing as general knowledge.  
> **username_7**: Learning Mandarin while living in HK is about useless as A/ most natives have only a passing knowledge of it; B/ the Cantonese accent makes it hard to understand when they speak Mandarin; C/ You won't be able to practice on a daily basis in the city. Then again, if you learn Canto, you won't be able to practice much either, as locals refuse to speak Cantonese with non-natives.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_8 on 2013-07-03. Score: 5

Hope this will help:

**From a % speakers/opportunity to practice perspective:**

In the world, 12.44% of the total population speaks Mandarin (obviously heavily skewed by China's massive population, but still 12.44% nonetheless), compared to 4.83% native English speakers, and a measly .89% Cantonese speakers. (<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers>)

In China, more than half of the population of 1.4 billion (53%) speaks Mandarin. And 66% of city residents speak Mandarin.

In Taiwan, heavy majority Mandarin speakers (don't have %), some Hakka, some Taiwanese, and virtually no Cantonese presence.

In typically majority-Cantonese population provinces:

* Guang Zhou: percent of Cantonese speakers has dropped below 50%, and Mandarin is on the rise.
* In Hong Kong, majority of residents speak English and Cantonese, and many understand Mandarin.

**From a learning perspective:**

* Mandarin Chinese has 4 tones
* Cantonese has 6 tones

It's generally much easier for students to learn Mandarin over Cantonese.

**From a future perspective:**

* The Chinese government is trying to sell Mandarin as the basis for other dialects, and uses that in most government jobs and mandates it as a base language in schools. That being said, you'll most likely find Mandarin to overwhelmingly overtake Cantonese soon. (<http://yolearnchinese.com/archives/mandarin-or-cantonese>)

So it depends on your goals...

If you know you want to work, live or study in Hong Kong, then learn Cantonese... But if your goal is to learn a language that you'll have many opportunities to use worldwide/in the business world, then Mandarin is the language to learn.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I'm username_6 to live in Hong Kong and at the same time I don't want and have no capacity to learn 2 Chinese languages. So it's not clear yet.  
> **username_8**: Marius, if I've answered your question please consider accepting  
> **username_0**: sorry, not yet.  
> **username_7**: Cantonese has 6 tones. I don't know where you get the "majority of residents speak English" part but it's widely optimistic. English fluency is probably at its lowest. It's definitely much worse today than 20 years ago.  
> **username_8**: My mistake on the tones- not sure where "9" came from. As far as English presence in Hong Kong- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Hong_Kong suggests that English is widely use in the workplace. Other sites, http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100109082312AAvroFh suggest that you can communicate easily in English. Where are your sources from?  
> **username_9**: @username_0  By now I think you should accept this answer.  

---

### Answer by username_10 on 2013-07-03. Score: 3

I can only speak from my experience.

But I suggest

1. If you are username_6 to live in Hong Kong for a long time, learn Cantonese
2. Otherwise learn Mandarin

I started learning Mandarin back in the UK, but ended up living in Hong Kong for 3.5 years.

Through hard work my Mandarin has improved, but Hong Kong is not a good place to learn Mandarin.

A few reasons why this is the case;

* Hong Kong mandarin isn't native - you will learn a few cantonese pronunciation and vocabulary bad habits
* Language lessons are very expensive, and largely focused at business people
* Cantonese is much better if you want to fit in socially

Of all the other places I've spent time (Shenzhen, Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore) unquestionably Mandarin is the right language to learn. But you should probably learn a little bit of the local dialect (Shanghainese in particular will open a few more doors)

If you plan to stay in Hong Kong for just a short time (a year or so) then I'd also say Mandarin is the right way to go.

Depends on your life plans.


---

