Table of Contents
What language should I learn for Hong Kong?
Mandarin Chinese is understood by most people but Hong Kong locals mainly prefer to converse in Cantonese. In Hong Kong, Cantonese itself is called Chinese and Mandarin Chinese is called Putonghua. You can get around with English, practically, as all the street signs and instructions are written in English.
What is harder to learn Cantonese or Mandarin?
Mandarin is easier to learn Cantonese is seen to be more difficult because it has from 6 to 9 tones, each of which signify different things (while Mandarin only has 4 tones). In addition, because of its greater prevalence, it is easier to find Mandarin study materials than Cantonese study materials.
What are the language requirements to study in Hong Kong?
Officially, the city government encourages students to become bi-literate in Chinese and English and trilingual in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Should I learn Mandarin?
If you want to be more widely understood, you should learn Mandarin. Nowadays with more and more trade and communication between Hong Kong and mainland China, more and more Cantonese speakers are learning Mandarin. Of course, if you plan to travel or work in China in the future, you can learn Mandarin.
What is the language policy in Hong Kong?
The government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, established in 1997 after the United Kingdom handed over the city back to China, carries out the language policy called Bi-literacy and Tri-lingualism, which encourages the public to be able to write in Chinese and English and speak in Cantonese, English and Mandarin concurrently.
How much Mandarin is spoken in Hong Kong?
When Hong Kong was handed back from the UK to China in 1997, only a quarter of the population spoke any Mandarin. Now, two decades later, that figure has nearly doubled.