RESOURCES FOR LEARNING CANTONESE

Here are the resources I consider essential to learn how to speak Cantonese.

NATIVE
SPEAKERS:
80,000,000

OFFICIAL
LANGUAGE IN:
HONG KONG & MACAU

Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.



FAVORITE COURSES AND APPS TO IMPROVE YOUR CANTONESE

CantoneseClass101 – Offers an innovative, fun, and easy to use language learning system that is designed to get you speaking from the very first lesson. Learn at your own convenience and pace with our short, effective, and fun audio podcast lessons, a comprehensive, state-of-the-art Learning Center, and a vibrant user community.

Glossika Cantonese - Sentences and repetition are used to teach. Glossika teaches you Cantonese in context by combining the "mass sentence approach" with an innovative spaced repetition system. This course is ideal for upper-beginner to advanced students.

Assimil Cantonese - The Assimil method for teaching foreign languages is through the listening of audio cd's and the reading of an accompanying book, one side native language, one side foreign language. This method is focused on learning whole sentences, for an organic learning of the grammar. It begins with a long passive phase of only reading and listening, and eventually adds active exercises.

Ling - Learn and play with Master Ling, an interactive platform filled with language courses, quizzes, and fun mini-games! Lessons are taught through engaging games, such as picture matching, flashcards, and sentence arrangement to keep you up and going. Plus, it’s got an engaging chatbot you can practice with!

Mango Languages - Mango utilizes its proprietary methodology, engaging interface, and easy, intuitive interactive tools to deliver practical conversational skills and valuable cultural insight for new languages. Lessons include strategically placed memory-building exercises to help users remember what they are learning in addition to critical thinking exercises, which help them to intuitively understand the language and adapt it to similar conversations.

Bluebird Languages - Bluebird uses the proven “spaced repetition” learning method to optimize both acquisition and retention. This, combined with instruction in 97% of the world’s most-spoken languages and our special building-block approach, will have you speaking and understanding the language of your choice in record time.

CANTONESE TUTORS: PRACTICE WITH NATIVE SPEAKERS

My method to learning a new language is to speak it from the beginning. I recommend the following tool for this:

Italki - On Skype, it links you with native Cantonese speakers for spoken practice. You may pay for (affordable) one-on-one video sessions with Cantonese teachers or discover a free language exchange partner! This link will take you directly to the site's Cantonese instructors.

LEARN HOW TO READ AND WRITE IN CANTONESE

Colloquial Cantonese - The Complete Course for Beginners has been carefully developed by an experienced teacher to provide a step-by-step course to Cantonese as it is written and spoken today. Combining a clear, practical and accessible style with a methodical and thorough treatment of the language, it equips learners with the essential skills needed to communicate confidently and effectively in Cantonese in a broad range of situations. No prior knowledge of the language is required.

Teach Yourself: Complete Cantonese Beginner to Intermediate Course - A Teach Yourself Guide provides you with a clear and comprehensive approach to Cantonese, so you can progress quickly from the basics to understanding, speaking, and writing Cantonese with confidence.

Pleco – A mobile dictionary that's a must-have. It's generally known that it can be used to learn Mandarin Chinese, but it can also be used to learn Cantonese. It reads and translates any Chinese text you scan with your phone using optical character recognition (OCR). If you're travelling or residing in China, this is a must-have.

RESOURCES FOR INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED CANTONESE LEARNERS

LingQ - 1000s of hours of Cantonese podcasts, audiobooks, interviews, courses, and more immerses you in a world of engaging Cantonese material. Then, whenever you come across a word you don't recognize, you may use LingQ's SRS learning features to store it for later review.

Clozemaster - Answers the question: after Duolingo, what's next? Clozemaster aids in the quick expansion of your vocabulary by allowing you to learn Cantonese in context. You'll utilize the Cloze technique to fill in the blanks in thousands of Cantonese phrases. The sentences you'll learn are far more practical than the ones you'll learn on Duolingo.

CANTONESE LEARNING WEBSITES YOU MUST USE

In your Cantonese study sessions, you'll come back to these materials again and again.

Forvo – Find out how to pronounce any Cantonese word. Simply put the word you're looking for into the search bar in Cantonese!

START SPEAKING CANTONESE RIGHT NOW

Pimsleur – The Pimsleur method is perfect for you if you want to start speaking right away. Learn anywhere, anytime in just 30 minutes a day. Learn a language while cooking, commuting, exercising and more! Have the flexibility to practice when it’s convenient for you.