Learn Cantonese Chinese
A practical, free guide to speaking, reading, and writing Cantonese β with Jyutping, tones, and Traditional characters from day one.
Cantonese is spoken by over 85 million people in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong province, and Cantonese communities worldwide. It is written with Traditional characters and romanized using Jyutping. Because Cantonese preserves more historical sounds and vocabulary, many learners of Mandarin find Cantonese classes surprisingly familiar when reading β on paper, Cantonese and Mandarin speakers can understand much of the same text.
1. Start Speaking: Jyutping and the 6 Tones
Jyutping uses letters plus a tone number (1β6) after each syllable. The same sound carries six different meanings depending on tone:
- 1: si1 (θ©©) β high level
- 2: si2 (ε²) β high rising
- 3: si3 (試) β mid level
- 4: si4 (ζ) β low falling
- 5: si5 (εΈ) β low rising
- 6: si6 (δΊ) β low level
Tap and repeat to hear the six tones:
2. Learn Useful Phrases and Sound Natural
Every character on this site includes Cantonese audio β open today's Word of the Day or browse the character library and press the π Cantonese button.
3. Build Reading Skills: Traditional Characters
Cantonese is written with Traditional characters used across Hong Kong and Macau. Many are complex, but they become easier when you learn them by radical, in context, and in small daily doses. Our level-based curriculum shows both the Simplified and Traditional form of every character side by side, so you can strengthen your reading recognition of both scripts at once.
4. Write with Correct Stroke Order
Stroke order rules are the same across the Chinese dialects β what differs is the character form. Writing Traditional characters correctly matters for legibility and for learning to read handwritten Cantonese. Use our interactive stroke order visualizer to watch each character being drawn, then practice on printable practice grids.
5. Follow a Structured Study Path
- Begin at Level 1 and progress unit by unit β each unit adds a themed group of characters.
- Review one new character per day with the Word of the Day.
- Follow the 90-day study plan adapted to Cantonese listening practice.
More Cantonese Learning Resources
- Mandarin vs Cantonese: Key Differences
- How to Master Chinese Stroke Order
- Simplified vs Traditional Chinese
Ready to start? Hear today's Word of the Day in Cantonese, or begin at Level 1, Unit 1. Everything here is free β no paywalls, no trial timers.