List of Chinese dialects
The following is a
list of Chinese languages and dialects. It lists the seven traditional major classifications, namely the
Gan,
Guan or Beifang (Mandarin),
Kejia (Hakka),
Min (including the
Hokkien and
Taiwanese variants),
Wu (including Shanghainese),
Xiang and
Yue (Cantonese), followed by three contemporary categories increasingly recognised by linguists, namely the
Hui,
Jin and
Ping dialects. Finally, language groups falling outside these categories and those without a clear classification are
also listed.
In addition to the languages and dialects given below, it is customary to speak informally of langauges and dialects belonging to each province, e.g.
Sichuan dialect,
Henan dialect. These designations do not always correspond to classifications used by linguists, but each nevertheless has approximate characteristics of its own.
The question of whether these should be called
dialects or
languages in their own right is particularly interesting in Chinese. On the one hand, the designation seems to be as much socio-political as linguistic, reflecting
Max Weinreich's comment that "a language is a dialect with an army and a navy." Purely from a linguistic point of view, many of these idioms seem to meet the criteria of a language. On the other hand, to a large degree the various Chinese idioms share a common
written language and
literature, lending weight to calling them "dialects". Because the written language is grammatically closest to
Standard Mandarin, many Chinese speakers view
Standard Mandarin as "the Chinese language", and everything else as dialects.
*
Dongkou dialect*
Funing dialect*
Fuzhou (Jiangxi) dialect '州話
*
Ji'an (Jiangxi) dialect 吉安話
*
Nanchang dialect 南昌話
*
Xianning dialect*
Yichun dialect 宜春話
*
Yingtan dialect 鷹潭話
Beijing Mandarin 北京官話
*
Beijing dialect 北京话/北京話
*
Standard Mandarin, also known as Putonghua (which is also the official name in English) 普通话 in the
People's Republic of China, Guoyu (also spelt Kuo-yü) 國語 in the
Republic of China, Huayu 华语 in
Singapore.
The official sanction of Standard Mandarin as an official language has also given rise to the following varieties of Standard Mandarin in areas that did not originally speak any dialect of the Mandarin group:
**
Cantonese Mandarin**
Singaporean Mandarin**
Taiwanese Mandarin**
Chengde dialect 承德話
**
Chifeng dialect**
Hailar dialect**
Karamay dialectJi Lu Mandarin 冀魯官話
*
Baoding dialect 保定話
*
Jinan dialect 濟南話
*
Shijiazhuang dialect 石家莊話
*
Tianjin dialect 天津話
Jianghuai Mandarin 江准官話
*
Hefei dialect 合肥話
*
Hainan Junjiahua 軍家話
*
Nanjing dialect 南京話
*
Nantong dialect 南通話
*
Xiaogan dialect*
Yangzhou dialect 揚州話
Jiao Liao Mandarin 膠遼官話
*
Dalian dialect 大连话/大連話
*
Qingdao dialect '岛话/'島話
*
Weihai dialect 威海話
*
Yantai dialect 烟台话/煙台話
Lan Yin Mandarin 蘭銀官話
*
Dungan language 東干語
*
Lanzhou dialect 蘭州話
*
Urumqi dialect of Chinese*
Xining dialect 西宁话/西寧話
*
Yinchuan dialect "川话/銀川話
Northeast China Mandarin 东北官话/東北官話
*
Changchun dialect 长春话/長春話
*
Harbin dialect ""浜话/"爾濱話
*
Qiqihar dialect 斉斉""话/齊齊"爾話
*
Shenyang dialect 沈阳话/瀋陽話
Southwestern Mandarin 西南官话/西南官話
*
Changde dialect*
Chengdu dialect 成都话/成都話
*
Chongqing dialect 重慶話
*
Dali dialect *
Guiyang dialect 桂陽話
*
Kunming dialect 昆明話
*
Liuzhou dialect 柳州話
*
Wuhan dialect 武漢話
*
Xichang dialect 西昌話
*
Yichang dialect 宜昌話
Zhongyuan Mandarin 中原官話
*
Hanzhong dialect 漢中話
*
Kaifeng dialect 開封話
*
Kashgar dialect of Chinese 喀什話
*
Luoyang dialect 洛陽話
*
Nanyang dialect*
Qufu dialect 曲埠話
*
Tianshui dialect 天水話
*
Xi'an dialect 西安話
*
Xuzhou dialect 徐州話
*
Yan'an dialect 延安話
*
Zhengzhou dialect 郑州话/鄭州話
Hui is sometimes considered a subcategory of
Gan.
*
Jixi (Anhui) dialect*
Shexian (Anhui) dialect 歙縣話
*
Tunxi dialect 屯溪話
*
Yixian (Anhui) dialectJin is sometimes considered the ninth division of
Mandarin (Guan/Beifang).
*
Baotou dialect 包頭話
*
Datong dialect 大頭話
*
Handan dialect*
Hohhot dialect 呼'浩特話
*
Taiyuan dialect 太原話
*
Xinxiang dialect*
Huizhou (Guangdong) Hakka dialect 惠州客家話
*
Meizhou Hakka dialect 梅州客家話
*
Wuhua Hakka dialect "華客家話
*
Xingning Hakka dialect 興寧客家話
*
Pingyuan Hakka dialect 平遠客家話
*
Jiaoling Hakka dialect 蕉嶺客家話
*
Dapu Hakka dialect 大"客家話
*
Fengshun Hakka dialect 豐順客家話
*
Longyan Hakka dialect 龍岩客家話
*
Waitau dialect 圍頭話/畬話
Min Bei 闽北语
*
Jian'ou dialect 建"话/建"話
Min Dong 闽东语
*
Fuqing dialect (Hokchia)
*
Fuzhou dialect (Hokchiu) 福州話
Min Nan 闽南语/閩南語
*Chaoshan division (see
Teochew) 潮汕片
**
Shantou dialect (Swatow) 汕头话/汕頭話
**
Chaozhou dialect (Teochew) 潮州话/潮州話
**
Haifeng dialect (Hailufeng dialect/Lufeng dialect) 海豐話 (海陸豐話/陸豐話)
*Mintai division 閩台片
**
Lan-nang**
Quanzhou dialect 泉州話
**
Penang Hokkien**
Taiwanese (see
regional variations) 臺灣話/台湾话
***Central Taiwanese
***Northeastern coastal Taiwanese
***Northern Taiwanese
***Southern Taiwanese
**
Xiamen dialect (Amoy/Hokkien) 厦门话/廈門話
**
Zhangzhou dialect 漳州話
Min Zhong 闽中语
**
Sanming dialect 三明話
Pu Xian**
Putian dialect (Henghwa/Hinghwa) 莆"話
**
Xianyou dialectQiong Wen "文片
**
Hainan dialect (Hainanese) 海南話
**
Zhanjiang dialect (Leizhou) 湛江話/雷州話
Shao JiangPinghua is sometimes considered a subset of
Cantonese (Yue).
*
Nanning dialect 南寧話
Taihu division 太湖片
*
Changzhou dialect*
Hangzhou dialect 杭州話
*
Jiaxing dialect 绍兴话
*
Ningbo dialect 宁波话
*
Shanghai dialect (Shanghainese) 上海話
*
Suzhou dialect 苏州话/蘇州話
*
Wuxi dialect 无"话/無錫話
Taizhou division 婺州片
*
Taizhou (Zhejiang) dialect 台州話
Oujiang division*
Wenzhou dialect 溫州話
Wuzhou division*
Jinhua dialect*
Yiwu dialect*
Yongkang dialectChu Qu division*
Lishui dialect*
Quzhou dialect*
Shangrao dialectXuanzhou division*
Xuancheng dialectChang Yi division*
Changsha dialect 長沙話
*
Hengyang dialect 衡陽話
*
Yiyang dialect*
Zhuzhou dialect Lou Shao division*
Loudi dialect*
Shaoyang dialect*
Shuangfeng dialectChen Xu division*
Chenxi dialect*
Xupu dialectYue Hai division 粤海片/粵海片
*
Standard Cantonese (Guangfu) 广府话/廣府話
**
Guangzhou dialect 广州/廣州
**
Hong Kong dialect 香港
**
Macau dialect 澳门/澳門
*Sam-yup 三邑/南番順
**
Nanhai dialect 南海話
**
Panyu dialect 番禺話
**
Shunde dialect 順德話
*
Zhaoqing dialect 肇庆话/肇慶話
*
Zhongshan dialect 中山話
*
Zhuhai dialect 珠海話
*
Jiujiang dialect 九江話
*
Qingyuan dialect 庆元话/慶元話
Guan Bao division 莞寶片
*
Dongguan dialect 东莞话/東莞話
*
Bao'an dialect 寶安話
Luoguang division 罗岗片/羅崗片
Seiyap division (Siyi) 四邑片
*
Enping dialect 恩平話
*
Heshan dialect 鶴山話
*
Jiangmen dialect 江门话/江門話
*
Kaiping dialect 开平话/開平話
*
Taishan dialect (Hoisanese, Toisanese) 台山話
*
Xinhui dialect 新會話
Gouyeung division 高阳片/高陽片
*
Maoming dialect 茂名話
*
Yeunggong dialect 阳江话/陽江'
Gwainaam division (Cancerese) 桂南片
*
Beihai dialect 北海話
*
Nanning dialect of Yue (Naamning) 南宁话/南寧話
*
Moujau (Guangxi) dialect 婺州話
*
Yuklam dialect 郁林话/鬱林話
Mouchyun dialect 武川話
Danjia dialect 蜑家話
*
Danzhou dialect*
Linghua*
Maojiahua*
Pingdi Yaohua*
Shaozhou Tuhua*
Wutunhua*
Xianghua*
Chinese language*
Chinese spoken language*
Dialects of Mandarin*
Dialect (discussion of "dialect" or "language")
*
Identification of the varieties of Chinese*
Spoken Chinese*
Detailed Classification of more than 2500 Chinese Dialects*
Chinese Ink in Southeast Asia*
Linguistic chart of Chinese-Tibetan Languages
