In most countries, it’s also the primary foreign languagetaught in schools and can be understood by one third of the world’s population. With well over a billion native speakers, Chinese is the most-spoken first language in the world. She is more in population than the whole of Europe put together. Though Malaysia uses simplified Chinese for education, the traditional Chinese is still popular and understood by Chinese speaking Malaysians. Cheers to your successful visit to the People’s Republic of China. The languages of Taiwan is an exciting topic. Find out which languages keep The variants are (1) Min Nan with 50.5 million speakers who are located in Southeastern China and Taiwan. The above represents the main indigenous languages of China that you will find among the Chinese nationals when you get to China. There are an estimated 81.4 million speakers of the Wu language in China. In Hong Kong, English is established as an official language and is used in both print and electronic media. Other major languages include Wu, Yue, Min, Xiang, and Gan, as well as Hakka. So, if you want to know more about the languages spoken in China, here are the top … There are roughly 30 million native speakers of Hakka Chinese, making it one of the major regional languages in Mainland China has a law titled the “National Common Language and Writing Law,” whose provisions call for the mandatory promotion of Standard Chinese by the Chinese government. The Hokkien dialect is another major regional language in China. It's actually a group of related languages, of which Mandarin Chinese is by far the biggest. It's an official language in the People's Republi… Of the billion-strong English speakers in the world, only 33% consider it their native language. The standard Mandarin is based on the original dialect and it is the official language of the People’s Republic of China and Republic of China (Taiwan) as well as one of the four recognized by Taiwan. This is the reason why there are many languages among the Chinese because of so many groups that have come together to form a country. Aside from population figures, the Chinese are distinguished by the number of languages that they speak. By clicking any language or country, you can easily explore which languages are most widely spoken in European countries, which countries are most fluent in a language, how language knowledge has changed from one Language is a primary parameter of human existence as it helps in effective communication between human beings. But all of the languages are written with the same system. Mao Zedong made this dialect popular because he is a speaker of it. You are going to hear this language across the country. Out of…, The effects of globalization can be felt in languages too. Records from China’s Ministry of Education show that about 70% of the population in mainland China can speak Standard Chinese, but only 10% can speak the language fluently. The Proto-Sinitic period is the period of the most ancient … When most people think of “Chinese”, it is Mandarin that they are picturing. Today, the total number of Hokkien dialect speakers is estimated to be about 37 million people. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2021 worldatlas.com, 10 Countries Where Women Far Outnumber Men, The Most Famous Serial Killers In America And Their Twisted Crimes. Standard Chinese is incorporated into the education curriculum in both mainland China as well as in Taiwan, with the government aiming to have the language achieve a penetration of at least 80% across the country by 2020. You are going to find the speakers of this language in Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong. The predominant language is Standard Chinese, which is based on central Mandarin, but there are hundreds of related Chinese languages, collectively known as Hanyu (simplified Chinese: 汉语; traditional Chinese: 漢語; pinyin: Hànyǔ, 'Han language'), that are spoken by 92% of the population. It uses eight different tones to differentiate the meaning of words. The use of Cantonese in Hong Kong is regulated by the Official Language Division of the Civil Service Bureau, a government institution. Your email address will not be published. Min language has the highest number of variants (5) among the languages of China that are spoken today. For instance, in Mandarin Chinese, the word “ma” means different things depending on its tone. By population the top five world languages … Indeed, there’s a lot more to Chinese than just Mandarin: there are many important(…) CONTINUE READING » “Many” is the answer to our initial question of how many languages are spoken in China. This is the dialect map of China,the green is North Chinese, the yellow is … Mandarin has four tones; On the other hand, Cantonese Chinese has six, for instance, the word “fan” means six different things depending on its tone. Standard Chinese is the official language in mainland China, as well as in Taiwan, and is also known as Standard Mandarin or Modern Standard Mandarin. Thanks for you can read my answer. China is home to 56 ethnic groups, all of whom have played a critical role in the development of the various languages spoken in China. The language exists in six main subgroups, which are geographically defined. (4) Pu-Xian with about 2.6 million located in Xianyou and Putian of the Fujian province. translation of drugs between English and Chinese, 15 Effective Steps to Speak English Fluently. There are several hundred languages in China.The predominant language is Standard Chinese, which is based on central Mandarin, but there are hundreds of related Chinese languages, collectively known as Hanyu (simplified Chinese: 汉语; traditional Chinese: 漢語; pinyin: Hànyǔ, 'Han language'), that are spoken by 92% of the population.The Chinese (or 'Sinitic') languages … Mandarin and Cantonese, although they are often referred to as individual languages, are each technically classified as a dialect of the Modern Standard Chinese language, commonly known as Guoyo or Putonghua.Mandarin is considered a native language by about two-thirds of China’s inhabitants, making it the most dominant spoken Chinese dialect, while Cantones… Tibetan Sign Language exists as a standardized language, which was formulated between 2001 and 2004. Obviously, the so-called Chinese dialects are actually separate languages. The Chinese dialects such as “Mandarin” and “Cantonese” are actually as different as the Romance languages are from one other. Cantonese is used as the official language in Hong Kong, as provided for by the Hong Kong Basic Law, and is utilized in all government communication, including court and tribunal proceedings. Cantonese can be divided into three main dialects: the Guangzhou dialect, Hong Kong dialect, and Macau dialect. It’s spoken in 94 countries by 339 million native speakers and is the official language of the 20 most relevant international organizations, making it a very widespread language. English is one of the most critical foreign languages in China, with about 10 million speakers all over the country. Indo-European languages have the widest spread worldwide. Blind Cantonese speakers use the Cantonese braille system. Drugs of Abuse (Illicit Drugs) The most common drugs of abuse or illicit drugs in the West with Chinese translations. Some of the old words that have been deleted from Mandarin are still strongly held on to Gan. Cantonese is closer to old forms of the language and is … Try our corporate solution for … There were more than 3.5 million speakers. This is the variant that is recognized by the UN as one of their six official languages. China Numbers vary widely — Ethnologue puts the number of native speakers at 1.3 billion native speakers, roughly 917 million of whom speak Mandarin — but there’s no doubt it’s the most spoken language in the world. English is also used as a lingua franca in China during international engagements. This language is also known as Wúyuèyǔ, Goetian, and Changzhou. : Home These languages are geographically defined, and are found in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Tibet. This list should be useful…, The predominant language that will come to the mind of people in a discussion about the languages of UK will definitely be English. Standard Chinese is the official language in mainland China, as well as in Taiwan, and is also known as Standard Mandarin or Modern Standard Mandarin. What is a tonal language? Language being the main mode of communication of any human makes it very essential. It’s definitely the most spoken language Mandarin Chinese is the most popular language in China, with over 955 million speakers out of China’s total population of 1.21 billion people. This article will not get into the non-Chinese languages spoken by minorities in China, such as Tibetan, Mongolian and Miao, and all those subsequent dialects. To as many as do not know the deep details of the two, one can be confused for the other. So if you are planning to go there on a tourist or working visit, then you have to be prepared for the language of the locals stated against their provinces if you want to enjoy your stay in China while it lasts. Since the last decade, the Chinese government has been putting a lot of effort to promote the Chinese language as a global language. Those that speak this language can be found in the provinces of Hunan, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Hubei. The spread of this language is from the 5th-century cultural center called Suzhou and it gained more prominence during the reign of the Ming Dynasty. Speaking English fluently is a kind of art. We shall be taking a journey into the major languages of China that you will encounter in today’s Mainland China. How Many Serial Killers Are On The Loose Today? But in 1949, the government strongly supported the idea of having only one official language although concrete actions … The Ethnologue 200 For over 15 years, we've published a list of the largest languages in the world – often cited by top-tier publications. There are only two main scripts used in writing the Chinese language. Top languages for tourism translation We now take a look at the languages spoken “at home” in those countries to find which languages are the top ones to make travelers feel “at home” while requesting your services: Chinese 4. It should come as no surprise, then, that there are several important regional distinctions in the Chinese language. The language exists in six main subgroups, which are geographically defined. The speakers of this dialect are isolated; they have about 13 dialects that are different from each other. In the past, the use of sign Language in China was discouraged and in some cases completely banned as people believed that it would further inhibit a child’s auditory capabilities. It…, Your email address will not be published. Mandarin and Wu speakers will find it difficult making sense out of this language but the Hakka speakers will make complete sense out of this Chinese Dialect. Mandarin is the most-spoken language in the world, with over 1.5 billion speakers. contact@daytranslations.com Call Us 1 … Mandarin is also spoken in Taiwan, where it is referred to as Chinese rather than “Putonghua.” Often, Mandarin is used in local TV and radio … Geographically, too, China is an immense country. There were around 1.3 billion native Chinese speakers a the time of survey. This is the language of the coastal areas of China that is spoken around Shanghai and in the larger Yangtze river delta area. Thanks for you can read my answer. China has eight major languages and several other minor minority languages that are spoken by different ethnic groups. Let’s now dive into the top 10 most spoken languages … The language is a standardized dialect of Mandarin language, but features aspects of other dialects in its usage, including written vernacular Chinese in the language’s grammar, Mandarin dialects in its vocabulary, and the Beijing dialect in the pronunciation of its words. There are several cases, where separate languages are treated as dialects and vice-versa. There are over 7,000 languages in the world, each with their own histories and sounds. Taiwanese & Hokkien ARE NOT the same thing: Taiwanese is a combination of Cantonese via Hakka, & Minnanyu, etc... Minnanyu is spoken in the south of Fujian province AKA Amoy. The records show that China accounts for about 18.41% of the world population and the population of the country is estimated to be around 1.4 billion people. The best known are undoubtedly Mandarin and Cantonese. What language is spoken in China? But here are the Top 10 languages, as spoken by native speakers… 1. The dialect is centered in the city of Fuzhou, from which the dialect gets its name. This language still carries along with the ancient features of the Chinese culture and it has six tones. What language is spoken in China? All data is derived from UNESCO. Eight different dialects, any of which might technically be their own language, depending on how you define it. Required fields are marked *. Some scholars divide the history of the Chinese languages into Proto-Sinitic (Proto-Chinese; until 500 bc), Archaic (Old) Chinese (8th to 3rd century bc), Ancient (Middle) Chinese (through ad 907), and Modern Chinese (from c. the 10th century to modern times). According to the latest data, there are 302 languages spoken in China and 276 of them are indigenous languages. They are spoken in Guangdong and Guangxi, in the area around the southernmost point in the curve of the South China coastline. Most of the speakers hail from Hunan province. The tonal language is common among East and Southeast Asian and many African languages. Wu, Hakka, Yue, and Min are just a … Before the 20th century, the different Chinese governments were not too concerned with the language issue. According to linguists, Cantonese is defined as a variant of the Chinese language or as a prestige variant of Yue, a subdivision of Chinese. Linguists state that there are more than 300 languages are spoken in China by about 1.3 billion native speakers. Tibetan Sign Language is used by the deaf residents of Tibet, and particularly in the Lhasa region. In terms of use in China, this language is second only to Mandarin. The most commonly spoken languages in China Mandarin is the official language of China Mandarin, Cantonese, Xiang, Min, Hakka are other languages spoken on a regular basis in China What are the most spoken languages on . How to speak English fluently? Let us now go into spoken Chinese languages that are still in existence in China. In its written format, Standard Chinese uses both simplified Chinese characters (used mainly in Putonghua), as well as traditional Chinese characters (used primarily in Guoyu). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. China is a very populous country. When the pitch at which one utters a syllable determines the very meaning of the word, it is classified as a tonal language. Types Of Crimes By Number Of Offenses In The US, The 10 Biggest Shopping Malls In The World. It is the universal language used throughout the northern, central, and southwestern provinces of China. Though the spoken word is quite different, the sense that all speakers being united as “Chinese” gives the appearance that there is a single “Chinese” language. Learn like a child and speak like a native. The major languages are Mandarin, Yue, Wu, Minbei, Minnan, Xiang, Gan and the Hakka dialects. With well over a billion native speakers, Chinese is the most-spoken first language in the world. Chances are, if you've seen a website or blog listing the "largest" or "most spoken" languages, it was from one iteration or another of our list. The use of Standard Chinese in mainland China is regulated by the National Language Regulating Committee, while the National Languages Committee is mandated to regulate the language’s use in Taiwan. The language is a dialect of the Southern Min language group. Here is a list of top 10 most spoken languages around the world: 10. Number of native speakers: 897 millionNumber of non-native speakers: 193 millionTotal speakers: 1.09 billionName in the language itself: 普通话 (Putonghua)Language family: Sino-TibetanRelated to: Cantonese, Tibetan, BurmesePeople sometimes speak of “Chinese” as if it's a single language. If you : | (2) Min Dong with 10.3 million speakers. The majority of English speakers are found in the urban centers of the country. According to the latest data, there are 302 languages spoken in China and 276 of them are indigenous languages. When classified with other closely related Yuehai dialects, Cantonese has about 80 million speakers across the country. Standard Chinese is the official language in mainland China, as well as in Taiwan, and is also known as Standard Mandarin or Modern Standard Mandarin. So if there are some mistakes please forgive me. It is a North Germanic language that is spoken by about 6 million people, mainly Danes, and residents of Southern Schleswig in northern Germany, where Danish has the status of a minority language. Cantonese and Mandarin are the two dominant dialects and, whilst Mandarin is the official and standard spoken language in mainland China, Cantonese is spoken in the Guangdong Province and other areas of China, plus Macao and Hong Kong. What are the top 20 most spoken languages in the world? Speakers of the Hakka dialect can be found in the following areas in China: Jiangxi, Guizhou, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Taiwan. In Taiwan, Hokkien is one of the statutory languages used for the signage in public transportation. The total number of Wu speakers in China is estimated to be about 80 million people. There are 43.5 million speakers of this dialect in China. The total number of Fuzhou speakers is estimated to be over 10 million all over the country. Wu Chinese is a dialect of Chinese that is predominantly spoken in the eastern region of China. The major languages are Mandarin, Yue, Wu, Minbei, Minnan, Xiang, Gan and the Hakka dialects. 15% to 20% of Gr… The UN has set aside April 20th of each year as Chinese language day. They also call it Putonghua (common tongue). How many languages are spoken in China? Urdu Featuring next on the list of top … It was massively promoted by the communist leaders in the 1950s in the bid to educate the massive population. This bar chart race video is about top 15 most spoken languages in the world. Taiwan and China have some things in…. Guangzhou is also known as Canton, and it is from this city that the language got its name. (Note: There’s a “ma” without any tone too, used as a question marker). For a small country of 127 million, some of the languages spoken in Japan are distinctly unique to the locale, with most of them not mutually intelligible. Spoken Chinese languages are among the most commonly used in the world. But, some languages are much more widely spoken than the rest. For the braille system, the language uses Taiwanese Braille, Mainland Chinese Braille, and Two-Cell Chinese Braille. Go beyond the classroom walls and spend your resources effectively to develop a native-like fluency in English. After the ten languages mentioned above, the next ten most popular languages in the world in order are: Telugu, Wu Chinese, Turkish, Korean, French, German, Vietnamese, Tamil, Yue Chinese, and Urdu. Chinese exists in a number of varieties that are popularly called dialects but that are usually classified as separate languages by scholars. The reforms initiated in the 1950s did not affect Taiwan and this account for the fact that traditional Chinese is still the main script in Taiwan, Hongkong, and, Macau. The focus was on mainland China and the objective is to improve literacy among the people. All of these dialects are geographically defined. English language also retains the number one spot as the most com… Linguists believe that there are 297 living languages in China today. The UN has set aside April 20th of each year as Chinese language day. But China is a huge country and it is impossible for there to be only a single vernacular of 1.5 billion people. The tones make the languages of China, one of the difficult languages to master especially for the people from west in the field of translation and interpretation (Here’s a sample translation of drugs between English and Chinese). It is spoken by the people group of the same name and is based throughout southern China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Every Chinese national will speak a little of this language in worse scenarios. This dialect is also referred to as Cantonese, Yueyu, Yuet Yue and Yueh. In the Guangzhou province, Cantonese is used as the lingua franca as well as in the neighboring region of Guangxi. How Many Serial Killers Are Active In The UK Now? China has eight major languages and several other minor minority languages that are spoken by different ethnic groups. They differ as much from each other Another language that has official status in China is Cantonese. This statistic shows the most spoken languages in the world. Top languages by population per Nationalencyklopedin Rank Language Native speakers in millions 2007 (2010) Percentage of world population (2007) 1 Mandarin (entire branch) 935 (955) 14.1% 2 Spanish 390 (405) 5.85% 3 5.52 This dialect is spoken by the population of Fujian province. The new Xiang is spoken by people that live in Hunan’s capital, Changsha. Learn more about Chinese languages, dialects In mainland China, Standard Chinese is also known as Putonghua (loosely translating to “common speech”), while in Taiwan the language is referred to as Guoyu, which loosely translates to “national language." Chinese always considered themselves the middle of the world, hence the word “zhongguo” literally means “middle kingdom”, which in English is translated into “China”. The strange-looking c is pronounced approximately like ch. When tallied according to number of native speakers only, these are the most Old Xiang is the language of Shuangfeng and many areas in Hunan. The majority of English speakers are found in the urban centers of the country. Even though the dialects from the seven groups are quite different, a non-Mandarin speaker usually can speak some Mandarin, even if with a strong accent. Before we go into the languages of China, let us take a look at the way the script of the language is written. Indeed, there’s a lot more to Chinese than … Wu Chinese is a dialect of Chinese that is predominantly spoken in the eastern region of China. Do you think Chinese and Taiwanese languages are the same? The dialect is classified as one of the major regional languages in China and has speakers predominantly located in the Fujian province. Here’s the word for  “daughter-in-law” in middle Chinese and seven other languages spoken in Chinese today. But Mandarin Chinese is far from the only variant of the Chinese language – or the only language spoken in China… To understand each language, you have to take a look at the number of native speakers the language has and how well it … This Mandarin language is spoken fluently by about two-thirds of the Chinese population. The dialect originated from the Fujian province and spread to different regions in southeastern China. Danish is the official language of the Kingdom of Denmark and is spoken by a majority of the people of this country. Their language “zhongwen” literally means “middle language”, which in English means “Chinese” language. Of course there's Chinese, but you may know as Chinese is actually an umbrella of many other languages. Another major international language in China is Portuguese, which is used as the official language in Macau. All the schools are expected to instruct their students in Mandarin; though not all the schools in China are complying with this. English is the lingua franca of business and academia. All of these should be celebrated. They are: This represents the pre-reform system of Chinese writing. The official language of China, Mandarin is the dialect taught in Chinese schools. Here is a list of the top ten languages, grouped by the number of native speakers. Surprisingly, Spanish didn’t make the cut despite being the official language of 20 countries and spoken … Some are popular choices to language learners while others are curious choices. Gan language is spoken by about 22 million of the Chinese population. According to Ethnologue, the language family contains over 3 billion speakers in total. Interestingly, there are actually 1,526 Niger-Congo languages altogether, though only 12 are represented here. How many different languages are spoken in China in 2021? Of course there's Chinese, but you may know as Chinese is actually an umbrella of many other languages. Chinese Sign Language is the primary sign language used among the deaf population in mainland China and Taiwan and is used by a significant percentage of the estimated 20 million deaf people in China. This is the dialect map of China,the green is North Chinese, the yellow is Cantonese and the pink Fuzhou is a dialect of Houguan Chinese subgroup and a prestige variety of the Eastern Min branch of the Chinese language. The speakers this language understood very little of whatever is said to them in different dialects. Ranked: The 100 Most Spoken Languages Worldwide Even though you’re reading this article in English, there’s a good chance it might not be your mother tongue. In Macau, the use of the language is regulated by the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau. The language can also be divided into 14 varieties, which include the Shanghainese, Huzhou, Wuxi, Ningbo, Suzhou, Changzhou, Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Xuanzhou, Chuqu, Taizhou, Wuzhou, and Oujiang dialects. Hakka has six tones and it is extensively borrowed from Cantonese. In most cases, the languages become dialects because they are all spoken in one nation or by the same cultural group. Mandarin is the official language of China (and Taiwan) and it has been so since the year 1913. What are the top three most useful languages for business after English? Other regional languages include Hakka, Xiang, Foochow, and Gan. Chinese languages, also called Sinitic languages, Chinese Han, principal language group of eastern Asia, belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. The official language of China is Mandarin Chinese, but it is just one of many languages spoken in China. Language is a primary parameter of human existence as it helps in effective communication between human beings. The law provides Standard Chinese as the lingua franca in China and is used as a means of communication, enabling speakers of unintelligible varieties of Chinese languages. Unlike people from other parts of China, the 7. The top language spoken in China is Mandarin. Mandarin is the official language of China, but some of the languages are more popular … It also shows how consonants and vowels have changed over time. Danish is also the national language of the country. (5) Min Zhong/Central Min is spoken in municipalities of Yong’ an; Sanming and the county of Sha all in the province of Fujian. Chinese Sign Language is the primary sign language used among the deaf population in mainland China and Taiwan and is used by a significant percentage of the estimated 20 million deaf people in China. Written Cantonese uses traditional Chinese characters, as well as characters from written vernacular Chinese. My English is not so good and poor in grammar. This is yet another indigenous languages of China and it is close to Gan. These subgroups include Taihu, Taizhou, Oujiang, Wuzhou, Chu-Qu, and Xuanzhou. Geographically, too, China is an immense country. This is used in Mainland China, Malaysia and overseas. Old Xiang is similar to the Wu language and it has five tones. The world has more than 6800 languages spoken throughout it, some of which are spoken by a large proportion of world population, while others are spoken by only a minority. Chinese, 1.3 billion Native Speakers 1.3 billion native speakers, roughly 918 million of whom speak Mandarin Chinese. The language is a standardized dialect of Mandarin language, but features aspects of other dialects in its usage, including written vernacular Chinese in the language’s grammar, Mandarin dialects in its vocabulary, and the Beijing dialect in the pronunciation of its words. Million of whom speak Mandarin Chinese, the so-called Chinese dialects such as or. Speakers located in southeastern China China during international engagements ) Pu-Xian with about 10 million over! Of variants ( 5 ) among the Chinese government has been so since the year 1913 language! 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Has speakers predominantly located in Xianyou and Putian of the Chinese nationals when you to. As Tianjin or Shenyang Tibet, and Gan has the highest number of variants ( 5 ) among the language... And speak like a child and speak like a native to language learners while others curious... The massive population these languages are Mandarin, you will encounter in today ’ s capital Changsha. Putonghua ( common tongue ) fluently by about 1.3 billion native Chinese speakers a the time of survey tones. And Xuanzhou in Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong is regulated by the same cultural.! All of the Southern Min language group majority of English speakers in the Lhasa region languages have the spread.