10 Interesting Facts about Cantonese

7. Abroad, Cantonese is more widely spoken than Mandarin

Mandarin is officially called Standard Chinese and it is the most widely spoken variety in mainland China. But it only got to that position to unify the country under one language and Mandarin happened to be the version spoken in the area around Beijing. However, many of the Chinese living overseas come from the southern part of the country where Cantonese is more widely spoken. As such, you’re more likely to hear Cantonese spoken in the Chinatowns of Europe and America.