The world's biggest language family and its dramatic Hong Kong sibling. Same characters, different music: Mandarin rides four tones, Cantonese dances on six.
| Mandarin (普通话) | Cantonese (廣東話) | |
|---|---|---|
| Speakers | ~1.1 B (the largest native language on Earth) | ~85 M (HK, Guangdong, Guangxi, diaspora) |
| Family | Sino-Tibetan → Sinitic | Sino-Tibetan → Sinitic (Yue) |
| Tones | 4 tones + neutral | 6 tones (traditionally 9) |
| Romanisation | Pinyin (bīnguāng) | Jyutping (Cantonese-specific) |
| Characters | Simplified (mainland) / Traditional (Taiwan) | Traditional |
| Mutually intelligible? | No — a Mandarin speaker cannot follow Cantonese speech; they share writing only. | |
In Chinese, pitch is grammar. The syllable ma in Mandarin is four different words:
| Tone | Shape | Mandarin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | flat, high (55) | mā 妈 | mother |
| 2 | rising (35) | má 麻 | hemp |
| 3 | dip, low (214) | mǎ 马 | horse |
| 4 | falling (51) | mà 骂 | scold |
| 0 | light/neutral | ma 吗 | question particle |
Cantonese adds the "entering tones" — syllables that end in -p, -t, -k are extra-short and high. The classic joke-word set 唔 無 唔 (m̀h, mǒu, ...) is how beginners learn that tone changes meaning completely.
Each character is a syllable and often a morpheme (a meaning-unit). Two styles:
| English | Simplified | Traditional | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 中国 | 中國 | Zhōngguó |
| person | 人 | 人 | rén |
| water | 水 | 水 | shuǐ |
| Hong Kong | 香港 | 香港 | Xiānggǎng |
| you | 你 | 你 | nǐ |
| love | 爱 | 愛 | ài |
| horse | 马 | 馬 | mǎ |
| dragon | 龙 | 龍 | lóng |
Simplified (1950s mainland reform) cut strokes; Traditional kept the historical forms in Taiwan, HK, and Macau. ~3,000 characters covers 99.5% of everyday text.
Chinese grammar is famously light: no tenses, no plurals, no cases, no agreement. Word order + a few particles carry everything.
Mandarin: 我 吃 饭 — Wǒ chī fàn = "I eat (rice/meal)." Subject–verb–object, but modifiers go before the noun, adverbs usually after the subject.
| Particle | Job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 的 de | possessive / modifier glue | 我的 wǒ de — "my" |
| 了 le | completion marker (the "past" that isn't a tense) | 吃了 chī le — "ate / eaten" |
| 吗 ma | turns a statement into a yes/no question | 好吗？ hǎo ma? |
| 在 zài | "at" + also the progressive (正在 = currently) | 在吃饭 zài chīfàn — "eating right now" |
You can't say "three dogs" — you must say "three [animal classifier] dogs": 三只狗 sān zhī gǒu. Different things get different counters:
| Measure | For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 个 ge | the general all-rounder (people, things) | 三个人 sān ge rén |
| 只 zhī | animals, one of a pair | 一只猫 yì zhī māo |
| 本 běn | books & bound volumes | 一本书 yì běn shū |
| 张 zhāng | flat things: paper, tables, tickets | 一张纸 yì zhāng zhǐ |
| 杯 bēi | drinks in a cup | 一杯咖啡 yì bēi kāfēi |
| 辆 liàng | vehicles | 一辆车 yí liàng chē |
Same in Cantonese — but the classic general counter is 個 go³, and you'll hear it everywhere.
| Sound | Pinyin spelling | Careful — it's not English |
|---|---|---|
| x | xièxie (谢谢, thanks) | like "sh" with the tongue forward, not "ks" |
| q | qǐng (请, please) | "ch" with a flat tongue; not "kw" |
| zh | zhōng (中, middle) | "j" with the tongue curled back |
| r | rén (人, person) | a voiced "zh"-like buzz, not English r |
| c | cè (ce, side) | "ts" — like "cats" |
| e | hé (和, and) | "uh" not "ee" |
Jyutping (Cantonese) uses trailing numbers for tone: 我 ngo⁵, 唔該 m̀h-gōi "thank you". It also has sounds Mandarin lost — final consonants -p, -t, -k and the ŋ- initial.
| English | Mandarin | Pinyin | Cantonese (jyutping) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 | nǐ hǎo | néih hóu |
| Thank you | 谢谢 | xièxie | m̀h-gōi (services) / dō-jē (gifts) |
| Sorry / excuse me | 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | déui-m̀h-jyuh |
| Yes | 是 | shì | haih |
| No | 不是 | bù shì | m̀h-haih |
| Goodbye | 再见 | zàijiàn | joigin |
| How much? | 多少钱？ | duōshao qián? | géi-dō chín? |
| I don't understand | 我不懂 | wǒ bù dǒng | ngóh m̀h-míng |
| Delicious | 好吃 | hǎochī | hóu hóu-sihk |
| Cheers! | 干杯 | gānbēi | yàhm-būi |
| # | Han | Pinyin | # | Han | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | yī | 6 | 六 | liù |
| 2 | 二 | èr | 7 | 七 | qī |
| 3 | 三 | sān | 8 | 八 | bā |
| 4 | 四 | sì | 9 | 九 | jiǔ |
| 5 | 五 | wǔ | 10 | 十 | shí |
11 = 十一 shí-yī, 20 = 二十 èr-shí, 100 = 百 bǎi. Hand counting: one hand, thumb to little finger = 1–5; 6 = thumb+little finger, 7 = pinch, 8 = gun fingers, 9 = hook, 10 = crossed fists.
Roughly 1,000 headwords gets you fluent in everyday Mandarin. This trainer starts you on the top-frequency core — tap 🔊 to hear, mark mastered, then run Quick recall until 100%.
Hear the sentence, type it in characters or pinyin. This trains your ear to the four tones.
| Radical | Solid meaning | Words built on it |
|---|---|---|
| 亻 (人) | person | 你 (you) · 他 (he) · 们 (-plural) |
| 氵 (水) | water | 江 (river) · 河 (river) · 海 (sea) · 洗 (wash) |
| 口 | mouth | 喝 (drink) · 吃 (eat) · 叫 (call) · 吗 (question) |
| 日 | sun / day | 早 (morning) · 明 (bright/tomorrow) · 昨 (yesterday) |
| 月 | moon / month | 月 (month) · 朋 (friend: two moons!) |
| 木 | tree / wood | 树 (tree) · 杯 (cup: wood+not) · 桌 (table) |
| 火 / 灬 | fire | 热 (hot) · 炒 (stir-fry) · 点 (order/light) |
| 女 | woman | 妈 (mom) · 姐 (older sister) · 她 (she) |
| 土 | earth | 地 (ground) · 城 (city) · 场 (field) |
| 山 | mountain | 山 (mountain) · 岛 (island) |
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我饿了 | wǒ è le | I'm hungry |
| 我要点菜 | wǒ yào diǎn cài | I'd like to order |
| 菜单在哪里 | càidān zài nǎlǐ | Where's the menu? |
| 这个是什么 | zhège shì shénme | What is this? |
| 我不吃辣 | wǒ bù chī là | I don't eat spicy |
| 不要太辣 | bùyào tài là | Not too spicy, please |
| 来一份炒饭 | lái yī fèn chǎofàn | One fried rice, please |
| 两碗米饭 | liǎng wǎn mǐfàn | Two bowls of rice |
| 请给我一双筷子 | qǐng gěi wǒ yī shuāng kuàizi | Please give me a pair of chopsticks |
| 有素食吗 | yǒu sùshí ma | Is there vegetarian food? |
| 我吃素 | wǒ chī sù | I'm vegetarian |
| 这个很好吃 | zhège hěn hǎochī | This is very tasty |
| 太好吃了 | tài hǎochī le | So delicious! |
| 麻烦打包 | máfan dǎbāo | Please wrap it to go |
| 买单，谢谢 | mǎidān, xièxie | The bill, please |
| 可以刷卡吗 | kěyǐ shuākǎ ma | Can I pay by card? |
| 服务员 | fúwùyuán | Waiter! |
| 请等一下 | qǐng děng yīxià | Please wait a moment |
| 来点水 | lái diǎn shuǐ | Some water, please |
| 热的还是冷的 | rè de háishì lěng de | Hot or cold? |
| 我要一杯茶 | wǒ yào yī bēi chá | I'll have a cup of tea |
| 干杯 | gānbēi | Cheers! |
| 味道不错 | wèidào búcuò | The flavor is good |
| 我没有筷子 | wǒ méiyǒu kuàizi | I don't have chopsticks |
| 你饿了吗 | nǐ è le ma | Are you hungry? |
| 我们一起吃吧 | wǒmen yīqǐ chī ba | Let's eat together |
| 今天谁做饭 | jīntiān shéi zuòfàn | Who's cooking today? |
| 我做饭 | wǒ zuòfàn | I'll cook |
| 好香啊 | hǎo xiāng a | Smells great! |
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这个多少钱 | zhège duōshao qián | How much is this? |
| 太贵了 | tài guì le | It's too expensive |
| 可以便宜点吗 | kěyǐ piányi diǎn ma | Can you make it cheaper? |
| 我要这个 | wǒ yào zhège | I'll take this |
| 那个是什么 | nàge shì shénme | What is that? |
| 有别的颜色吗 | yǒu biéde yánsè ma | Do you have another color? |
| 有大号的吗 | yǒu dà hào de ma | Do you have a bigger size? |
| 我可以试穿吗 | wǒ kěyǐ shìchuān ma | Can I try it on? |
| 试衣间在哪里 | shìyījiān zài nǎlǐ | Where is the fitting room? |
| 这个太短了 | zhège tài duǎn le | This is too short |
| 好看 | hǎokàn | It looks good |
| 不好看 | bù hǎokàn | It doesn't look good |
| 现金还是刷卡 | xiànjīn háishì shuākǎ | Cash or card? |
| 我付现金 | wǒ fù xiànjīn | I'll pay cash |
| 请给我收据 | qǐng gěi wǒ shōujù | Please give me a receipt |
| 有便宜的吗 | yǒu piányi de ma | Is there anything cheaper? |
| 这是新的吗 | zhè shì xīn de ma | Is this new? |
| 可以退货吗 | kěyǐ tuìhuò ma | Can I return it? |
| 我要退款 | wǒ yào tuìkuǎn | I want a refund |
| 打折吗 | dǎzhé ma | Is there a discount? |
| 半价 | bànjià | Half price |
| 买二送一 | mǎi èr sòng yī | Buy two, get one free |
| 我看看再说 | wǒ kànkan zài shuō | I'll look around first |
| 多少钱一件 | duōshao qián yī jiàn | How much per piece? |
| 我要买两件 | wǒ yào mǎi liǎng jiàn | I'll buy two |
| 包装一下 | bāozhuāng yīxià | Please wrap it |
| 谢谢你的帮助 | xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù | Thanks for your help |
| 下次再来 | xiàcì zài lái | I'll come again next time |
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 请问，车站在哪里 | qǐngwèn, chēzhàn zài nǎlǐ | Excuse me, where is the station? |
| 怎么走 | zěnme zǒu | How do I get there? |
| 走这条路 | zǒu zhè tiáo lù | Take this road |
| 拐弯 | guǎiwān | Turn |
| 向左转 | xiàng zuǒ zhuǎn | Turn left |
| 向右转 | xiàng yòu zhuǎn | Turn right |
| 一直走 | yīzhí zǒu | Go straight |
| 过马路 | guò mǎlù | Cross the road |
| 远不远 | yuǎn bù yuǎn | Is it far? |
| 很近 | hěn jìn | It's very close |
| 走路十分钟 | zǒulù shí fēnzhōng | Ten minutes on foot |
| 打车去吧 | dǎchē qù ba | Let's take a taxi |
| 地铁站 | dìtiězhàn | Subway station |
| 坐地铁 | zuò dìtiě | Go by subway |
| 坐几路车 | zuò jǐ lù chē | Which bus number? |
| 我迷路了 | wǒ mílù le | I'm lost |
| 这里是什么地方 | zhèlǐ shì shénme dìfang | What place is this? |
| 前面 | qiánmiàn | Ahead |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | Behind |
| 红绿灯 | hónglǜdēng | Traffic light |
| 路口 | lùkǒu | Intersection |
| 公园怎么走 | gōngyuán zěnme zǒu | How do I get to the park? |
| 公共汽车 | gōnggòng qìchē | Bus |
| 下一站 | xià yī zhàn | Next stop |
| 我在这里下车 | wǒ zài zhèlǐ xià chē | I get off here |
| 请开快一点 | qǐng kāi kuài yīdiǎn | Please drive a bit faster |
| 请开慢一点 | qǐng kāi màn yīdiǎn | Please drive slower |
| 靠边停车 | kàobiān tíngchē | Pull over |
| 多少钱一小时 | duōshao qián yī xiǎoshí | How much per hour (parking)? |
| 要加油 | yào jiā yóu | Need to refuel |
| Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这是我的家 | zhè shì wǒ de jiā | This is my home |
| 我家有四口人 | wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén | There are four people at home |
| 这是我妈妈 | zhè shì wǒ māma | This is my mom |
| 我爸爸是老师 | wǒ bàba shì lǎoshī | My dad is a teacher |
| 你有兄弟姐妹吗 | nǐ yǒu xiōngdì jiěmèi ma | Do you have siblings? |
| 我有一个哥哥 | wǒ yǒu yī ge gēge | I have one older brother |
| 你想家吗 | nǐ xiǎng jiā ma | Do you miss home? |
| 我很想家 | wǒ hěn xiǎng jiā | I miss home a lot |
| 每天上班 | měitiān shàngbān | I go to work every day |
| 周末做什么 | zhōumò zuò shénme | What do you do on weekends? |
| 我喜欢看书 | wǒ xǐhuan kànshū | I like reading |
| 我每天早上跑步 | wǒ měitiān zǎoshang pǎobù | I run every morning |
| 你几点睡觉 | nǐ jǐ diǎn shuìjiào | What time do you sleep? |
| 我十一点睡觉 | wǒ shíyī diǎn shuìjiào | I sleep at eleven |
| 早上好 | zǎoshang hǎo | Good morning |
| 晚上好 | wǎnshang hǎo | Good evening |
| 你吃饭了吗 | nǐ chīfàn le ma | Have you eaten? |
| 我在洗衣服 | wǒ zài xǐ yīfu | I'm doing laundry |
| 我在打扫房间 | wǒ zài dǎsǎo fángjiān | I'm cleaning the room |
| 我在做饭 | wǒ zài zuòfàn | I'm cooking |
| 我在看电视 | wǒ zài kàn diànshì | I'm watching TV |
| 他在玩手机 | tā zài wán shǒujī | He's playing with his phone |
| 今天天气很好 | jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo | The weather is nice today |
| 下雨了 | xià yǔ le | It's raining |
| 下雪了 | xià xuě le | It's snowing |
| 天冷，多穿点 | tiān lěng, duō chuān diǎn | It's cold; wear more |
| 我累了 | wǒ lèi le | I'm tired |
| 晚安 | wǎn'ān | Good night |
| 做个好梦 | zuò ge hǎo mèng | Sweet dreams |
| 我爱你 | wǒ ài nǐ | I love you |