A language spoken a lot in the south of China as well as around the world (especially in Chinese takeaways). It's roughly as related to Mandarin Chinese as English is to German: A speaker of (only) Cantonese cannot readily understand a speaker of (only) Mandarin Chinese and vice versa. Cantonese is spoken and not written, just as Mandarin Chinese is: Cantonese speakers and Mandarin Chinese speakers write in Written Chinese. It just happens that Mandarin Chinese is closer to the written standard.
If you're from the US or the UK, when you think you hear "Chinese", it's likely Cantonese, especially if your knowledge of "Chinese" is limited to "chicken chow mein".
If you're from the US or the UK, when you think you hear "Chinese", it's likely Cantonese, especially if your knowledge of "Chinese" is limited to "chicken chow mein".
Mandarin: "Tian bu pa, di bu pa, zhi pa guangdong ren shuo putonghua."
Translation: 'I fear neither heaven nor earth, I only fear Cantonese speakers trying to speak Mandarin'.
Cantonese: "Tin mh geng, deih mh geng ji geng bak fong yahn gong gwong dung wah mh jehng".
Translation: 'I fear neither heaven nor earth, I only fear Mandarin speakers speaking Cantonese so inaccurately'.
(From chinese-lessons.com)
Translation: 'I fear neither heaven nor earth, I only fear Cantonese speakers trying to speak Mandarin'.
Cantonese: "Tin mh geng, deih mh geng ji geng bak fong yahn gong gwong dung wah mh jehng".
Translation: 'I fear neither heaven nor earth, I only fear Mandarin speakers speaking Cantonese so inaccurately'.
(From chinese-lessons.com)
by rent-a-linguist December 28, 2011
Cantonese is one of the languages spoken in China. It is not a dialect of the invented "Chinese language". It is a language itself, such as Mandarin. The only difference is that Mandarin is the official one, and Cantonese is not.
Luca: Hi, Zeke! what've you been up to?
Ezekiel: Oh, I've been studying a lot for my exam tomorrow
Luca: exam of what?
Ezekiel: Oops, I forgot to tell you that I took up Cantonese, which is a language spoken in China. It is not the official one, though.
Ezekiel: Oh, I've been studying a lot for my exam tomorrow
Luca: exam of what?
Ezekiel: Oops, I forgot to tell you that I took up Cantonese, which is a language spoken in China. It is not the official one, though.
by Ezechiel August 17, 2006
1 - The proper way of calling someone from the Canton region of china, or extensively, someone from Hong Kong.
2 - The language locals speak in the Canton region oh China, or extensively, the language locals speak in Hong Kong.
2 - The language locals speak in the Canton region oh China, or extensively, the language locals speak in Hong Kong.
1)
Hello everybody! I'm cantonese! (I seriously am one.)
2)
Random Guy: Do you speak cantonese?
Me: Yes, Im from Hong Kong...
Hello everybody! I'm cantonese! (I seriously am one.)
2)
Random Guy: Do you speak cantonese?
Me: Yes, Im from Hong Kong...
by Epicguyof1337 September 30, 2013
1. A Sinitic language spoken mainly in Guangxi, Guangdong, Macau, and Hongkong.
2. Someone from Cantonese speaking areas, in particular inhabitants of Canton ( Guangzhou )
4. Anything related to Canton
2. Someone from Cantonese speaking areas, in particular inhabitants of Canton ( Guangzhou )
4. Anything related to Canton
a. Woooo I love Cantonese food it is absolutely delicious! 😋
b. Sorry, I don’t speak Cantonese.
c. I just bought some traditional Cantonese mooncakes from Fatshan ( Foshan ), it’s amazing!
b. Sorry, I don’t speak Cantonese.
c. I just bought some traditional Cantonese mooncakes from Fatshan ( Foshan ), it’s amazing!
by I ❤️ baguette 🥖 August 8, 2021
・A language widely spoken in Hong Kong, Macau, Southern China, and overseas Chinese communities.
・It can be both spoken and written, despite the fact that the written form is rarely seen and also considered informal.
・One of hardest languages in the world.
・It can be both spoken and written, despite the fact that the written form is rarely seen and also considered informal.
・One of hardest languages in the world.
by penis baby 👶 🍼 has November 15, 2020
Girl 1: Hey that Asian boy is so fineeee. I wonder where he's from?
Girl 2: Cute Asian? He's probably Cantonese.
Girl 2: Cute Asian? He's probably Cantonese.
by taaaaadaaaaa January 31, 2013
A major language that is used to communicate in South China, Hong Kong, and Macau. In other places, Cantonese is spoken the most by the Chinese community in Vietnam and the West, such as the USA, Canada, and the UK. Cantonese is a Yue language, which is a descendant of a Yue state, Southern Yue, that started its civilization below the Yangtze River of South China, before evolving to absorb a handful of Han (Mandarin) loan words and using the written Hanzi characters to express their own way of connecting to people. Cantonese is a different Asian language from Mandarin, due to speakers of both of these languages not being able to understand each other, unless Cantonese and Mandarin speakers only understand each other in Hanzi characters and using body language to some degree. Moreover, Cantonese sounds closer to Hakka, unlike Mandarin that sounds closer to Manchu. Finally, Cantonese isn't a Sino-Tibetan language, unlike Chinese nationalists thinking otherwise.
Whoever said that Cantonese has about 30% of Yue words, Mandarin has about 30% of Manchu words, and that these languages are both "Han Chinese", are either uneducated or blinded by nationalism to an extreme to spread fake news. On top of this, Chinese supremacists think that Cantonese and Mandarin-speaking groups are one "race", Han Chinese, similar to white supremacists spreading false information that most Europeans with blue eyes and white skin are part of the "untainted" Aryan race. However, Cantonese people or South Chinese genetically have double eyelids, bigger eyes, a darker skin tone, a shorter height, fatter noses, and an angular facial structure. On the other hand, Mandarin-speaking northern Han people or North Chinese genetically have smaller eyelids, smaller eyes, a lighter skin tone, a taller height, flatter noses, and a flatter facial structure. In other words, Cantonese resemble a lot like Southeast Asians, compared to northern Hans having the appearance of North Asians. Chinese supremacists need to get out more from their own tiny world to explore different cultures of tribal people. If not, screw those moronic smartasses.
by TheUnknown21 February 16, 2020