<p>Adding to the great answer posted by @倪阔乐, one thing Westerners don't understand well is there are more than 200 mutually unintelligible languages in China, all spoken in the same country. According to the linked <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varieties_of_Chinese" rel="noreferrer">Wikipedia article on 'varieties of Chinese'</a>: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Chinese (汉语/漢語 Hànyǔ), also known as Sinitic, is a branch of the
  Sino-Tibetan language family consisting of <strong>hundreds of local language
  varieties</strong>, many of which are not mutually intelligible. The
  differences are similar to those within the Romance languages, with
  variation particularly strong in the more rugged southeast. These
  varieties, often called "dialects", have been classified into seven to
  ten groups, the largest being Mandarin (e.g. Beijing dialect), Wu
  (e.g. Shanghainese), Min (e.g. Taiwanese Hokkien), and Yue (e.g.
  Cantonese).</p>
</blockquote>

<p>When you go to Shanghai and hear people there speaking Shanhainese, you will be surprised to find how different it is from Mandarine. Mandarine is often called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese" rel="noreferrer">Putonghwa (普通话, literally 'common speech')</a> because there are many <em>uncommon speeches</em> in China. It was only 1930 when a standard national language was adopted in China and before then, most Chinese people spoke only their local languages. </p>

<p>As explained in the other answer, Chinese is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Tibetan_languages" rel="noreferrer">Sino-Tibetan languages</a> while Korean and Japanese are believed to be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_isolate" rel="noreferrer">language isolate</a> (there are some disputes over their origin, though). It is impossible they could be mutually intelligible. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-10T23:28:28.960Z
Live and learn.  I was really ignorant of all that.
Centaurus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-10T17:41:53.790Z
2016-08-11T01:57:30.857Z
2016-08-11T01:57:30.857Z
Rathony
<p>The only possible way for the Sinosphereic people to communicate without learning reciprocal languages aforehand is via Chinese characters that prevail throughout their countries, though not anymore after the alleged modernization (westernization and colonization) and de-Sinicization movement in their respective languages.</p>
<p>This link may help:
<a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AD%86%E8%AB%87" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AD%86%E8%AB%87</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-21T22:51:02.790Z
2022-11-21T22:52:45.217Z
2022-11-21T22:52:45.217Z
SchitzKomm
<p>Can native speakers of Mandarin Chinese readily understand speakers of neighbouring regions such as Korea, Japan, Mongolia, or Canton? Are Mandarin Chinese and any of these languages mutually intelligible?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-01T14:06:46.530Z
I believe it is easier for English speakers to learn Russian than for Chinese speakers to learn Japanese or Korean.
Blaszard
<mandarin>
Is there any other language intelligible to Mandarin Chinese speakers?
# Is there any other language intelligible to Mandarin Chinese speakers?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-08-07)

Can native speakers of Mandarin Chinese readily understand speakers of neighbouring regions such as Korea, Japan, Mongolia, or Canton? Are Mandarin Chinese and any of these languages mutually intelligible?

**Tags:** mandarin

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I believe it is easier for English speakers to learn Russian than for Chinese speakers to learn Japanese or Korean.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-08-10. Score: 6

Adding to the great answer posted by @倪阔乐, one thing Westerners don't understand well is there are more than 200 mutually unintelligible languages in China, all spoken in the same country. According to the linked [Wikipedia article on 'varieties of Chinese'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varieties_of_Chinese):

> Chinese (汉语/漢語 Hànyǔ), also known as Sinitic, is a branch of the
> Sino-Tibetan language family consisting of **hundreds of local language
> varieties**, many of which are not mutually intelligible. The
> differences are similar to those within the Romance languages, with
> variation particularly strong in the more rugged southeast. These
> varieties, often called "dialects", have been classified into seven to
> ten groups, the largest being Mandarin (e.g. Beijing dialect), Wu
> (e.g. Shanghainese), Min (e.g. Taiwanese Hokkien), and Yue (e.g.
> Cantonese).

When you go to Shanghai and hear people there speaking Shanhainese, you will be surprised to find how different it is from Mandarine. Mandarine is often called [Putonghwa (普通话, literally 'common speech')](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Chinese) because there are many *uncommon speeches* in China. It was only 1930 when a standard national language was adopted in China and before then, most Chinese people spoke only their local languages.

As explained in the other answer, Chinese is [Sino-Tibetan languages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Tibetan_languages) while Korean and Japanese are believed to be [language isolate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_isolate) (there are some disputes over their origin, though). It is impossible they could be mutually intelligible.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Live and learn.  I was really ignorant of all that.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-11-21. Score: 1

The only possible way for the Sinosphereic people to communicate without learning reciprocal languages aforehand is via Chinese characters that prevail throughout their countries, though not anymore after the alleged modernization (westernization and colonization) and de-Sinicization movement in their respective languages.

This link may help:
<https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AD%86%E8%AB%87>


---

