Tidbits on the Chinese Language No.3: The Difference between
Written and Spoken Chinese Last time, we featured the difference
between simplified and traditional Chinese characters. In this
issue, let's take a look at the difference between written and
spoken Chinese. The Difference between Written and Spoken
Chinese Although the Chinese spoken in Hong Kong is Cantonese,
they write in the same way as in standard Chinese (Mandarin),
albeit in traditional (and not simplified) characters. When it
is read aloud, however, the pronunciation is Cantonese, so it
can only be understood by someone familiar with Cantonese. What
should be noted here is that Chinese can be understood, whether
in Taiwan or in mainland China, regardless of the variety of
Chinese that is spoken. For example, Hong Kong sounds like
“heong gong” when pronounced in Cantonese, but the same Chinese
characters sound like “siang gang” when pronounced in standard
Chinese. For this reason, it would probably be possible for
someone not familiar with Chi