The difference between Cantonese and Chinese

1. Different statuses. Mandarin is the national synonym and the legal language for communication in formal occasions; while Cantonese (also known as "Cantonese") is a dialect of Chinese.

2. Different usage areas. Mandarin is spoken throughout the country, while Cantonese is spoken only in most areas of Guangdong and Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macao.

3. The language itself is different. Including pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and other aspects.

Different pronunciations (including initial consonants, finals, tones, etc.)

1. Different initial consonants. The biggest difference is: Mandarin has the rhotic sounds zh, ch, sh, r, but Cantonese does not.

2. The vowels are different. The biggest difference is that Cantonese has nasal finals ending in m, as well as finals ending in b, d, and g (i.e., entry finals), while Mandarin does not.

3. The tone of voice is different. Mandarin has only four tones: Yin Ping, Yang Ping, Shang Teng, Qu Tone; while Cantonese has nine tones: Yin Ping, Yang Ping, Yin Shang, Yang Shang, Yin Qu, Yang Qu, Shang Yin Ru, Xia Yin Ru, Yang Ru. .

The two basic vocabulary are different. For example, "cry" in Mandarin and "shout" in Cantonese; "stand" in Mandarin and "qi" in Cantonese; "sleep" in Mandarin and "train" in Cantonese; "look" in Mandarin and "燇" in Cantonese; Say "eat" in Cantonese. etc.

The three grammars are different. Or the word order is different, such as "I come up first" in Mandarin, "I come up first" in Cantonese, or the function words used are different, such as "I am reading a book" in Mandarin, "I am studying hard" in Cantonese, and so on.