Cantonese or Mandarin

[larry_from_Los_Angeles]

I am starting high school in September and have elected to take a course to learn how to speak Chinese.

Can anyone please tell me the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin?

[tfc.chin]

Can anyone please tell me the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin?

Both Cantonese and Mandarin are dialects of Chinese. Mandarin is the official Chinese language spoken in China and Taiwan. It originates from North China.
Cantonese is one of the dialects in the south. It is the "standard" for Hong Kong and for many overseas Chinese regions such as in chinatowns in US and Europe.

If your aim is to use it in China or Taiwan, go for Mandarin.

Regards,

[timven1992]

Mandarin---->5 Sound per char. - / v \ .
Cantonese--->9 Sound per char. 123456789
thats why cantonese is more difficult!And it is not an official language in China(except Hong Kong & Macau)

Mandarin is good at learning in simplified chinese
Cantonese is good at learning in traditional chinese
(Because simplified chinese somtimes make 2 char. into 1 as these 2 char. speak in the same sound in Madarin but these 2 char. may not be in the same sound in Cantonese)
in Madarin
隻(zhi1)/只(zhi1) ~>只(zhi1)
in Cantonese
隻(jak3)/只(ji6) ~>只(ji6)

In personaly I think Tong poem is sounds good in Cantoese too!

Finally, if you want to communication in China~~> Madarin
otherwise ~~>Cantonese