Cantonese language courses

Why should I learn Cantonese?

Discover new cultures

Cantonese is spoken in various locations, including in Hong Kong. Learning Cantonese allows you to converse with the locals and integrate yourself into their unique and fascinating culture.

It’s a springboard for other languages

Cantonese and Mandarin are very similar. Once you have begun learning Cantonese, you will begin to easily recognise and understand a significant number of Mandarin words and characters. Cantonese also belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family, which is one of the largest language families in the world in term of its number of native speakers.

Musical training

It has been scientifically proven that if you learn tonal languages such as Cantonese, you can perfect your ability to distinguish musical notes. This is particularly effective if you begin learning the language at a young age. Cantonese is therefore the perfect language for any aspiring musicians.

What is the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin?

Geography

Although regional dialects abound in China, Mandarin is the country’s official language. Cantonese, however, is the local dialect of the southeast corner of China. Cantonese is Hong Kong’s main language, but it is also spoken in Guangdong Province an, the Guangxi Province and also Macau.

The characters

Mandarin and Cantonese characters share the same origins, but Mandarin characters have become simplified. The complexity of Cantonese characters derives from the number of strokes used to create them. For instance, in Mandarin, the word ‘dragon’ is written with five strokes, while the same word in Cantonese is written with sixteen.

Differences in tones

While Mandarin has five tones, Cantonese has nine. This makes Cantonese a more difficult language than Mandarin since all tones must be mastered for meaning to be accurately conveyed.

Expressions

There are many images circulating which show how literal translations of Chinese idioms and expressions have often humour effects. The same is true not just for translations between English and Chinese, but also between Cantonese and Mandarin. Where it is Mandarin or Cantonese, Eszett’s translation services helps you deliver the right message to your target audience.