With 56 ethnic groups and a rich linguistic heritage, China is home to a diverse range of languages. So, what language is spoken in China? What are the most common languages spoken in the country? Let’s find out with Thao & Co.
China is a linguistically diverse country with over 200 languages and numerous dialects. Here are the top 7 languages spoken in this country.
Mandarin, with a Beijing accent, has been the official language of China since 1956. It is spoken by approximately 70% of the population, particularly in Northeast and Southwest China.
Spoken by over 60 million people in Guangdong, Macau, and Hong Kong, Cantonese is a major variety of Chinese. Originating from Guangzhou, it has significant pronunciation differences compared to Mandarin.
Gan Chinese is primarily spoken in Jiangxi and neighboring provinces in Western China. This is a language completely different from Mandarin or other varieties of Chinese.
Shanghainese is a variety of Wu Chinese that originated from Suzhou and developed throughout the Ming dynasty. This is a dialect spoken by about 85 million people living in Eastern China.
Mainly spoken in Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Hainan, and Taiwan, Min Chinese is a unique language group with little similarity to Mandarin.
Taiwanese was originally from Fujian province during the Yuan dynasty (Chaozhou). Toward the end of the Ming dynasty, Fujian migrants brought the language to Taiwan, where it remains widely spoken.
Hunanese, part of the Xiang Chinese language group, originated in Hunan and has been influenced by Mandarin. As a result, its tones share more tonal similarities with Mandarin compared to other Chinese dialects.
With such language diversity, is Chinese hard to learn?
Both Simplified and Traditional Chinese are still in use today. People who read Traditional Chinese usually have no hard time reading Simplified Chinese.
However, Simplified Chinese is the preferred writing system in Mainland China. Meanwhile, Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and some overseas communities.
Related article: What’s the origin of Chinese characters?
Statistically, China has a low English proficiency rate, ranking 82nd out of 113 countries in the world. While some people do speak English, many use Chinglish, a mix of Chinese and English, which can sometimes be difficult for others to understand.
Here are some of the common questions you might have about the Chinese language.
What language do people speak in Beijing?
Beijing citizens speak the Beijing dialect, which is a prestigious variety of Mandarin. This dialect is known for its distinctive pronunciation and intonation. What language do people speak in Shanghai?
Shanghai locals mainly speak Wu Chinese, which is quite different from Mandarin. Other than that, English is also becoming popular in the city. What language do people speak in Yunnan?
Yunnan people primarily speak Mandarin, though the local pronunciation and intonation differ from standard Mandarin. Do Chinese people speak Vietnamese?
Vietnamese is not commonly spoken in China. However, the Kinh ethnic group, living in fishing villages on the islands of Wanwei, Wutou, and Shanxin in Dongxing City, uses Vietnamese in their daily lives.What language is spoken in China? China is home to a rich diversity of languages, each with unique writing systems, pronunciations, and intonations.
If you’re planning to learn Chinese or visit the country, it’s always a good idea to research the language variations in different regions.
At Thao & Co., we take pride in our team of expert linguists with extensive experience. We are committed to delivering precise translations that fully capture both the context and cultural nuances of your content
Thao & Co’s strict confidentiality policies ensure that your documents remain fully protected.
Ready to get started? Leave your information on our Get a Quote page and let us help you with your translation needs!
