How Hard is it to Learn Mandarin if you Speak Cantonese?

Written by Sheldon Ho on Sept. 30th 2021

So a lot of people ask: How long does it take to learn Mandarin?

Naturally, Mandarin Chinese is one of the hardest languages in the world to learn, and as such how long to learn Mandarin may take many years as a whole for learners with no background in Chinese whatsoever.

But the key point there is if you speak no Chinese whatsoever. However, if you speak Cantonese, learning Mandarin becomes exponentially easier!

So How Long Does it Take to Learn Mandarin as a Cantonese Speaker?

In fact, the time to become conversationally fluent can be shortened to 6 weeks. This means you can learn CONVERSATIONAL Mandarin in just 6 weeks.

Even if you don’t know how to read or write Chinese, and speak only a liiiiitle bit of Cantonese, you still have a big advantage when it comes to learning Mandarin. To understand why, we need to understand the differences between the two languages.

Cantonese VS Mandarin

What’s the difference between Cantonese and Mandarin?

To understand why, we need to look at the differences between these two languages. Both Mandarin and Cantonese use Chinese Characters, and fall under the same family of languages.

What makes learning Mandarin substantially easier for Cantonese speakers is the fact that most words between the two languages are the same. Additionally, most of the grammar between the two languages is also the same.

For instance, let's look at this sentence (I want to go out), and compare Cantonese vs Mandarin:

Notice how all the characters are the same, and the positioning and structure of the sentence is the same. Let's look at another example!

The only difference here is the pronunciation of words! This means you’ve taken out some of the hardest parts of language learning. This means that by having a Cantonese base, you can already form sentences in Mandarin, ask questions, and more - the only thing you need to learn is how to pronounce these words differently!

In other words, all you need to do is convert your Cantonese sentences that you already know, over to Mandarin!

Is Learning Mandarin REALLY That Easy?

Now of course, this is a bit of an oversimplification, and there are still factors that complicate things - but Mandarin REALLY is easier to learn if you speak Cantonese, and if you understand how to properly leverage your existing Cantonese to help you learn. You REALLY Can become Conversational in Mandarin in just 6 WEEKS.

So How Hard Is It to Learn Mandarin if You Know Cantonese?

It’s easy. As long as you know what you’re doing.

As a Cantonese speaker, you shouldn’t be wasting time on Learning Mandarin Apps, classes, books, and mandarin language learning resources designed for people with NO Cantonese Background. Most resources on the internet are designed for pure English Speakers, and are SO slow.

You need the right map to go from Cantonese to Mandarin, and you need to know how to leverage your existing Cantonese to learn Mandarin.

If you’re curious to learn how to leverage your existing Cantonese to learn Mandarin, then click below to watch our FREE Training!

Learn How to Leverage your Cantonese to Learn Mandarin Don't WASTE Your Cantonese Advantage!

About Author: Sheldon Ho

Hey Sheldon here! I’ve helped a lot of Cantonese Diaspora learn Mandarin, and the funny thing is I was once in your shoes. That's why I've designed the Canto to Mando Blueprint with help from Chinese language specialists to make something catered to people like us.