After Mandarin Chinese, the most useful and commonly-spoken dialect of Chinese is Cantonese, spoken in southern China’s Guangdong Province(referred to as Canton in the old days), Hong Kong, Macau and in many Chinatowns throughout the world. Cantonese is a completely different spoken language than Mandarin, and uses nine tones instead of just four, as Mandarin does! Although the past few decades has seen a huge rise in Mandarin Chinese learners, decades ago, due to film and Chinese abroad, Cantonese used to be the more popular language internationally a generation ago.
普通话 (Pǔtōnghuà) = Mandarin 
粤语 (Yuèyǔ) = Cantonese
So, anyway, what are the main differences between Mandarin and Cantonese? Here are four main differences:
1. 地区 (Dìqū) Region
Mandarin is now the official language of mainland China, even in regions where families may speak a local dialect such as Shanghainese at home. Mandarin Chinese is the official language of education, business and government. Cantonese is mainly used by people in southern China’s Guangdong province, Hong Kong, Macao and some overseas Chinese communities.
2. 口头形式 (Kǒutóu xíngshì) Spoken Form
Because they have different pronunciation, grammar and lexicon, the two languages sound totally different. Mandarin has only four tones per sound, while Cantonese has six to nine tones, depending on how specifically the tones are being counted.
3. 书面形式 (Shūmiàn xíngshì) Written Form
Simplified written characters are more associated with Mandarin Chinese, while traditional character writing remains for classical purposes in Cantonese-speaking regions and abroad. The simplified characters that are today more associated with Mandarin Chinese are based on the traditional characters still used in Cantonese-speaking regions.
4. 发音 (Fāyīn) Pronunciation
Below is a chart with key and commonly-used phrases in both Mandarin and Cantonese dialects.
Q & A:
Q 1: I am interested in learning "Chinese!" Which language should I learn, Mandarin or Cantonese?
Q 2: Which is more difficult to learn, Mandarin or Cantonese?
Q 3: What is the future trend for the two languages?
Check answers here!
