NEED HELP DECIDING WHAT TO LEARN

[rosieparisian]

hi chaps and chapses, I want to learn a form of Chinese but don't know whether I learn Cantonese or mandarin. Could anyone help decide maybe even be a language buddy. Would appreciate xx

[大块头]

I think you'll need to give us some information before we're able to give good advice. Why do you want to learn Chinese? How would you use it?

[NinjaTurtle]

Rosie,

 

If you have a particular reason to learn Cantonese, learn Cantonese. Otherwise, learn Mandarin.

[anonymoose]

You haven't provided much information, but in 99% of cases, the answer is Mandarin.

[Jan Finster]

On 8/30/2022 at 4:43 AM, rosieparisian said:

I want to learn a form of Chinese but don't know whether I learn Cantonese or mandarin.

 

No offense, but your question suggests you are currently in the "it would be cool to know Chinese" phase. That kind of "motivation" may not be sufficient to get far in such a difficult language. So, rather ask yourself, why else would you like to spend the next 5-10 years on the most difficult language on Earth?

 

[markhavemann]

On 9/1/2022 at 4:32 AM, Jan Finster said:

"it would be cool to know Chinese" phase.

but it IS cool to know Chinese, even just a little (and REALLY cool to know a lot). 

 

Plus, there's nothing wrong with starting something and later finding it's not for you, then you're just one step closer to finding something that IS for you.

 

Learning just a bit of Chinese will still open up your world to some degree and enrich your life, even if you drop it later.

 

On 8/30/2022 at 10:43 AM, rosieparisian said:

Cantonese or mandarin

As said before, Mandarin is almost always the answer. Cantonese is not that widely spoken and probably in some ways more difficult than Mandarin (it has more tones). So you will find muuuuch more learning material for Mandarin than Cantonese, and later when you get to an advanced level there will be a lot more native content to enjoy.

 

[Lu]

On 8/30/2022 at 4:43 AM, rosieparisian said:

I want to learn a form of Chinese but don't know whether I learn Cantonese or Mandarin.

Who do you want to talk to, or what do you want to understand? If it's a specific person or group of people (your in-laws, the local Chinese community) or a specific thing (Hong Kong kungfu movies), learn that language. If it's no specific thing or group of people, learn Mandarin.