Can You Guess Which Province in China Counts 72 Dialects?

While there are few languages out in this world whose difficulty can rival Mandarin, Cantonese a language spoken in Guangdong and the Greater Bay Area definitely tops the list. 


Something as casual as ordering food at a local restaurant anywhere in Guangdong can become a daunting task for anyone coming from another province or overseas. Unlike Mandarin and its four tones, Cantonese speakers master nine tones! 


And to make things worse, did you know that there are 72 regional dialects within Guangdong alone? 



Vastly speaking, Cantonese dialects are mainly divided into three main categories:


Cantonese (orange), Hakka (green), Chaoshan language (red).

The five most difficult Guangdong dialects to learn are the following:


5. Cantonese

Places scattered across the province will have different types of Cantonese accents. Generally speaking, Cantonese is far more complex to learn than Mandarin is.


4. Leizhou dialect


3. Yangjiang City dialect

There are as many as 11 tones with the Yangjiang dialect, all of which are high pitched and sharp. So people who don't understand Yangjiang dialect sound like they hear a group of people arguing.


If youre not a native speaker of this regional dialect and chances are you are not you will think that anyone speaking it is having an argument.


2. Hakka

Meizhou City is the most representative of this dialect.


1. Chaoshan (Chaozhou-Shantou) dialect

Chaoshan area (Chaozhou, Jieyang, Shantou, Shanwei)


To people living in Chaoshan, this dialect represents the bond that maintains affection for one another.


If youd like to learn more about Guangdongs unique cultural mix, heres a video that highlights more than 20 Cantonese dialects. 




Are you able to speak any of China's dialects? 

Let us know about your learning experience in the comment section below!



Editor: Crystal Huang

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