You’ll make more friends
The best way to make friends, as anyone who’s ever been through an awkward first-day of school experience knows, is simply by talking to people. There are two ways you can do this.
The first option is to attend a Cantonese class in Hong Kong where others will also be learning the language and working on their pronunciation. This can help you find people who speak your level of Cantonese or higher, so that you can practice speaking together and learn from each other. It’s also likely that some people will have similar interests as yourself—so if you’re looking for new hobbies or activities to try out in Hong Kong, there’s no better place than at one of these classes!
Another way would be by attending events hosted by expats already living in Hong Kong who might want another native speaker around for extra practice time (or even just someone who speaks English). You could also join meetup groups or forums such as “Cantonese Club” on Facebook where everyone shares tips on pronouncing certain words correctly while asking questions about grammar rules they’ve been struggling with lately too!
You’ll be able to speak with one of the world’s most influential communities.
There are lots of reasons to learn Cantonese, but one of the most important is that it will help you communicate with the Chinese business world. This language is already one of the most spoken in the world, and it’s only growing more popular each year. If you plan to conduct business with China or Hong Kong in the future, then learning this language now will be an easy way to get ahead when you’re ready!
Cantonese is also a regional language for Guangdong Province, Macau and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. These areas have a heavy influence over both finance and tourism; thus understanding their native tongue could give you serious competitive advantages in both industries.
You can get better value for money.
You can get better value for money. Bargaining in Cantonese is the norm, and you’ll find that just about everything is negotiable, from taxis to restaurant bills. If you don’t bargain for your taxi ride, for example, you could end up paying double what someone else does—and that’s just not fair! You should always ask for discounts as well; if you see something at the market or a shopping mall that’s cheaper than anywhere else, ask them why and see what they say!
You’ll improve your job opportunities.
You’ll improve your job opportunities.
If you want to work in Hong Kong, learning Cantonese will give you an edge over other applicants.
Learning Cantonese can help you land a position in any number of industries, including medical/healthcare administration and customer service.
You’ll be able to communicate with local customers or patients without having an interpreter present. You’ll have a better understanding of their culture and language, which will make them feel more comfortable around you—and maybe even help reduce some of their stress!
Cantonese-speaking employees are also valued by multinational companies that operate throughout East Asia because they can easily transfer between these countries without needing much additional training or communication assistance from native speakers (or even foreign-language translation services).
You’ll have access to a unique culture and history
Hong Kong is a unique place. It is a blend of Chinese, British and other influences, which has created a unique culture and history. By learning Cantonese in Hong Kong, you will gain access to this culture and history in more detail than if you had learned it in another part of China.
Even if you are not from Hong Kong or China, it can still be worthwhile getting to know the history here because it reveals insights into Chinese culture as well as the world at large.
You’ll become more cultured.
Learning Cantonese will help you to better understand the culture, history and politics of Hong Kong. You’ll be able to read signs and street names, which can help you find your way around the city. Once you learn some basic Cantonese phrases, you’ll be able to communicate with locals who speak English as a second language.
Learning about local culture helps us respect other people’s differences and appreciate their ways of life more deeply. For example, did you know that Hong Kong has its own lingo? If there’s something funny going on in a TV show or movie, it might not make sense unless you know some common slang words or jokes used here in Hong Kong! And even if it’s just nice weather outside today – no need for an umbrella!
Your kids will benefit from it too.
- Your kids will benefit from it too.
If you are a parent who is interested in teaching your children Cantonese, then this is great news. Learning a language at an early age can benefit them in many different ways such as:
- It helps them learn new words and improves their vocabulary.
- They learn to speak with more confidence and fluency than those who started learning later on in life; they are also better able to express themselves when they grow up because of this skill set that was developed from speaking Cantonese so early on, even if they only spoke it for 5 minutes each day!
- The earlier one learns a second language (or any language for that matter), the easier it becomes for them later on – especially since most people tend not to practice speaking much once they reach adulthood unless there’s someone around who knows nothing about what’s being said (like…your parents). So if you’re looking forward towards taking advantage of everything Hong Kong has to offer while still having fun with your kids then give yourself some extra benefits by learning some basic phrases beforehand so that when they do start attending school full time during elementary or secondary grades respectively then everyone’ll feel comfortable enough knowing how things work around here without worrying about getting lost every single time we step outside our homes.”
You can help preserve an endangered language.
You can help preserve an endangered language
Cantonese is a popular language that was once spoken by many people, but it’s not as common anymore. If you learn Cantonese, you can help keep this unique part of Hong Kong culture alive for future generations. Many other languages have become extinct over time because there weren’t enough people left who spoke them—for example, Hawaiian only has about 45 native speakers alive today! You might think that learning one of these endangered languages would be difficult or pointless since they’re so rare and their use is on the decline. However, when you learn Cantonese in Hong Kong or elsewhere in Asia where it’s still used regularly (like mainland China), your efforts will make a difference for preserving this beautiful language!
It won’t take long to pick up!
The amount of time it takes to become fluent in Cantonese depends on the person, their level of commitment and how much time they spend practicing. The good news is that you will pick up basic words and phrases quickly.
If you want to learn more advanced phrases, it’s important that you take classes with a qualified instructor who can help expand your vocabulary as well as show you how to correctly pronounce each word or phrase. You can also learn Cantonese online by downloading apps onto your smartphone or tablet.
It’s not that hard!
You might be surprised to learn that the Cantonese language is not as difficult to master as you may have thought. The grammar and characters are logical, and compared to other languages, the vocabulary is simple!
We’ll get into all of this later on in this article, but first let’s talk about why learning Cantonese in Hong Kong is so great.
Learning Chinese is a lot easier than you think!
Learning Chinese is a lot easier than you think!
Cantonese, the most widely spoken language in Hong Kong and Macau, is a tonal language. This means that one syllable can have multiple meanings depending on how it’s pronounced. For example: “ma” could mean mother, horse or hemp depending on how you say it. Mandarin has four tones while Cantonese has nine different tones (though some people don’t agree there are nine). The number of syllables in each word also makes it easier to learn than other dialects because they’re shorter and simpler to pronounce. You can get by with as little as 500 hours of study (or around 10 hours per week over 2 years), whereas Mandarin requires 1000+ hours of study (20+ hours per week).