Mandarin Chinese (Putonghua or common language) is the most spoken language in the world, with an estimated two billion speakers. Still, it is but one of the many dialects of the Chinese language. If you want to learn Chinese, would it be all right to learn Mandarin? Would you be understood by other Chinese speakers if Mandarin is your language of choice?

Before you begin to learn Chinese, here are some things that you should consider:

1. Make the decision on which language you should learn

Consider that China and Taiwan have Mandarin as their national language. If you are traveling, going to study, do business or going to be stationed in any of these countries, then you should learn Mandarin.

However, if you are going to Guangdong Province in China or to Hong Kong for the same reasons, you should learn Cantonese instead of Mandarin. Cantonese is also the Chinese dialect that is spoken by the majority in Chinese communities in Canada, Australia, the United States and United Kingdom.

Between the two, Mandarin is easier to learn and is more structured. Cantonese on the other hand has varied slang terms and various tones, making the language richer and more fun to learn. There are similarities between the two although it is not advisable that you learn them simultaneously.

2. Decide likewise if you want to learn how to write and read Chinese

Since Chinese characters are not phonetics-based, it will not help you to speak the language even if you learn how to write it. If you are learning Chinese only for travel purposes, learning some Chinese characters will help in reading menus and signs, although guidebooks usually provide these.

3. Choose the suitable system if you want to learn Chinese characters

Most people learn how to write Chinese characters for calligraphy purposes. But if you are serious about it you should know that traditional Chinese characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and in newspapers and menus outside China, such as in North America, Australia and elsewhere. Simplified Chinese is used in Singapore and China.

Looking into the future

If you look at it from a learning perspective, Cantonese has six tones while Mandarin only has four.  Moreover, if you are looking into the future, everything is in favor of Mandarin. It is being touted by the Chinese government as the language of choice for jobs in government. It is also the language or dialect that is being taught in schools. More than half of the population in China speaks Mandarin, and in Taiwan the majority also speaks Mandarin. In the province of Guangzhou, Mandarin speakers are increasing, with the number of Cantonese speakers now below 50%.

While it seems that everything points to Mandarin as the Chinese language to learn, it is really dependent on your goals. If it is for more business opportunities or worldwide usage, then opt for Mandarin. But if you are going to study, work or live in Hong Kong, then Cantonese is the language you should learn.