Last Updated on September 2, 2025 by stlplace
I started learning Cantonese 粤语 from Duolingo about 40 days ago: learn via the Duolingo app or website is relatively easier than using tape recorder for TOEFL back in year 1995/1996. This is my 1st attempt to learn Cantonese. Note 粤语 was very popular when I was in college (1989 to 1993). I didn’t get chance to learn then, probably because I didn’t think too much of it at that time too.
Here is some background I put on YT (in mandarin).
Why I decided to learn Cantonese now?
Two reasons:
First, I noticed the beauty of Cantonese and its resemblance to ancient Chinese 古汉语或文言文。Those beauty is available in other Chinese Dialects 方言 too. But my expectation is most dialects won’t survive in the foreseeable future, as we saw the China population continue moving into urban areas, and the population or standardization of mandarin cross the whole country, and to some extent cross the Chinese communities all over the world. In fact, in the old days in Shanghai I can hear many people talk in Shanghainese (or Shanghai dialect), now it’s quite rare. Even my brother who is in the bay area of the USA and I occasionally talks, we use mandarin, instead of the Ningbo dialect.
Second, I think I may move to HK and live there for an extended period of time after my kids going off to college. I liked HK a lot during our short visit last summer. (Update 09-02-2025) Re: moving or living in HK or SZ, my older daughter reminded me the other day, that I need to watch our younger daughter (aka her younger sister) a bit even if/when she goes off to college. This is a fair comment – I don’t intend to leave her completely when she is 18 (or 22 for that matter), and I will make sure either I will be present, or a trusted friend is around if she needs anything. I recall even in recent years, my parents who is almost 80, would remind me this or that – in their eyes, I am always a kid 🙂 Same rule applies here.
Some new knowledge or confirmed information
Cantonese could have different writing compared to mandarin Chinese, e.g., 古巨基 in 粤语 VS 古巨基 in 国语 (this one is actually simplified Chinese) vs. 台湾正体 (traditional Chinese). You will noticed even if you know mandarin either simplified Chinese or traditional Chinese, a lot of times it’s still quite hard to understand the Cantonese.
Also, I write about a related blog post Cantonese song and lyrics writer.
(Update 09-02-2025) I came across this free resource online (saw it via RedNote, or Xiaohongshu) by Chinese University in Hong Kong.