[HKNewbie7007]

Hello,

I'm planning on moving to HK very soon and was wondering which would be better for basic conversation and potential business, Cantonese or Mandarin ? I'm being told Cantonese by friends but I wanted to double check.

Also, I'm looking for a private tutor of whichever one I pursue. Does anyone have any information on that ?

Thank You.

[afarr]

Cantonese for sure! If you want to talk to the security guard in your building because you've got leaking taps or no electricity. If you want to ask the guy on the minibus where to get off. If you want to order something in a local restaurant. If you want to know what everybody around you is saying .... then definitely Cantonese.
Of course lots of people want to learn Mandarin but that is for work purporses.
I am always amazed by friends who learn Mandarin but can't communicate with any locals in Hong Kong although they live there. They are consigned to the world of only frequently ex-pat haunts, only eating in Western restaurants, only having ex-pat friends and the occasional token Chinese friend (who speaks English). Which is fine for a lot of people but I always feel it's like living with one hand tied behind your back.
The reason for not learning Cantonese is it's a very tough language and you're going to need to work at it all the time, but the rewards are immense. You can live and assimilate and have a normal life. How good is that?

[dean-dzai]

I agree entirely with afarr on every point. I feel learning Mandarin and living in Hong Kong can be compared on some level to learning English and living in Germany. oh, but English is a bigger language then German, BUT you're living in Germany! "Some" people in Hong Kong speak Mandarin - hey, some speak English, why not just use English if you want some way to communicate, Mandarin will get you as far as you need to go if you cross over into Shenzhen, but in Hong Kong - learn Cantonese (unless you have dreams of doing more in mainland China).

[sera]

I also think "afarr" has expressed his/her point of view well and taken the time to explain just why Cantonese would be better to learn than M.

Even though Canto is a lot trickier for English-speakers to master... coz of the 7 (or is it 8!) tones which can trip you up unawares, causing momentary amusement, most HKers appreciate the effort to learn basic or idiomatic phrases, and will lend a helping hand IF you insist on learning it.

There are plenty of opportunities to try speaking Canto in your daily transactions like when in restaurants or shopping. It's the main local vernacular after all!

Remember that although most locals speak good passable, if not excellent, English, their reluctance to make mistakes in this second lingo (thereby "losing face"?) may make them unusually and frustratingly more reticent than usual. So you may even think they're "shy" or standoff-ish at first.

Breaking the ice by showing that you've attempted picking up everyday Canto (though wobbly!) will put them at ease and the vibe's friendlier, brighter, or a lot less awkward!

And, BTW, out away from expat colonies, like towns/villages in the New Territories, you'll relate more when passingly communicating with the older generation, or at least catch the general drift of chatter.

Show interest, alert curiosity and you'll be more "included", even though at times words fail and the conversation flows into "chinglish"

[dean-dzai]

Originally Posted by sera

Show interest, alert curiosity and you'll be more "included", even though at times words fail and the conversation flows into "chinglish"

Just a note - Chinglish is the best

Even if you are communicating in English with a Chinese friend, to drop a phrase in Cantonese will go down well also. Sera made good points about New Territories, often I voice opinions which seem extreme, but only because I am one of these Westerners living in Northern New Territories. A Chinese friend of mine said many of her Western friends said there is no need to learn Cantonese, I asked if most of the friends were from HK Island and other heavily populated expat havens, I was right. It is certainly a different story out here in N.T. That said, unless you want to be an tutor for spoken English in a tutorial center (get your TESL certificate I recommend even if you don't aim to be a teacher - gives you flexibility in-between looking for work), you will need to speak Cantonese.

[HKNewbie7007]

Thanks to all for the advice. I am going to take some private lessons here in NYC before I head over there then try and pick it up from a tutor over in HK. Anyone know of any tutors ?

[Sleuth]

Here's the opposite side of the street---

If by "potential business" you mean the PRC/Taiwan, go with Mandarin. If you are thinking of using the language skills on a resume back home, go with Mandarin. If you are bringing kids and will return home with them eventually, go with Mandarin.

(But, yes, Canto is infintely better inside of HK. My wife and I had the same choice and went with Mandarin. Ideally she would have had Canto and I would have had Mandarin but we don't live in an ideal world and could only choose one.)

[keitakun]

as a hongkonger, of course i would like u to learn cantonese.
but honestly, mandarin is much much easier..
it just depends on wt u want
if u want to communicate with hongkongers and it is just for daily life, u should study cantonese.
also, i think that mandarin is not very necessary if u want to do business in mainland, cos the mainlanders r learning english,
of course at this moment, not many mainlanders can speak good english, but in the near future, this will be very common

[Sleuth]

The mainlanders are learning English but if you can drop in a few Mandarin phrases not only do they appreciate it, it makes them think twice about discussing things in Mandarin that they do not want you to hear.
Nothing better than having a Mandarin-fluent westerner in a business meeting. He can either keep the side discussions silent or he can tell you everything that was said that the Chinese didn't think you'd understand.

[geo-seb]

As someone who learned both, I can say that Mandarin is not really easier than Cantonese. A lot of Hong Kong people assume that Cantonese is more difficult than Mandarin, because it has a few more tones. However, once you get used to the concept of tones, their actual number, be it 4, 6, 7, or even 9, does not matter so much. Also, depending on your native language, many of the sounds in Mandarin are more difficult to learn than the Cantonese sounds. Plus in Hong Kong, you have lots of opportunity to practice Cantonese.

I agree with the above posters. Mandarin is quite useless in Hong Kong (unless you work in Disneyland or Ocean Park). I once saw a Western guy using Mandarin to order food in a Cantonese canteen and the staff looked at him like he was an escaped mental patient, and then asked him in English what he would like to order...