粵語 / 粤语
yuèyǔ
Cantonese is the language referred to in Mandarin as 粵語 / 粤语 (yuèyǔ) or 廣東話 / 广东话.
Meaning: language (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 粵語 / 粤语 | yuèyǔ |
| 廣東話 / 广东话 | guǎngdōnghuà |
The term refers to the Cantonese language. You may also encounter the related term 廣州話 / 广州话, which specifically refers to the Cantonese dialect spoken in Guangzhou.
What does it mean word for word?
The colloquial term 廣東話 / 广东话 literally means 'Guangdong language/speech', referring to the province of Guangdong where the language is primarily spoken.
Which one should you use?
粵語 / 粤语 is the formal and academic way to name the language, whereas 廣東話 / 广东话 is the common, colloquial term used in daily conversation. 廣州話 / 广州话 is used to specify the dialect of Guangzhou.
Is it said differently in some regions?
廣州話 / 广州话 specifically identifies the dialect spoken in the city of Guangzhou.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
yuèyǔ
Did you know?
- The word 粵 / 粤 in the formal term 粵語 / 粤语 is actually an ancient abbreviation for the 'Yue' people, an ethnic group in Southern China, rather than a direct reference to the modern 'Guangdong' province.
- Using the formal term 粵語 / 粤语 in a casual conversation can make a Mandarin speaker sound like a news anchor or a textbook.
- A Mandarin speaker might use 廣州話 / 广州话 to specifically distinguish the speech of the city of Guangzhou from other regional Cantonese varieties spoken across the south.
Examples in context
- 请问，你说的是广东话吗？Excuse me, do you speak Cantonese?
- 你会说白话吗？Can you speak Cantonese?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cantonese” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
