Kantoniksi

Kantoniksi is a term that refers to the Cantonese language. Cantonese is a tonal spoken language, part of the Sinitic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is the most widely spoken of the Chinese languages in the south and is spoken by over 62 million people worldwide. Its origins are in the city of Guangzhou (Canton) in southeastern China.

Historically, Cantonese served as the lingua franca of southern China and has a rich literary tradition. It is still widely used in the Guangdong province of China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Significant Cantonese-speaking communities also exist in Southeast Asia, such as Vietnam and Malaysia, and in Chinatowns around the world, including in North America, Europe, and Australia.

Distinguishing features of Cantonese include its complex tonal system, which has more tones than Mandarin, and its distinct vocabulary and grammar. It retains many features of Middle Chinese that have been lost in other modern Chinese varieties. Cantonese is written using Chinese characters, often with some characters specific to Cantonese usage. While Mandarin Chinese is the official language of mainland China and is taught in schools, Cantonese remains the dominant language in daily life in its core regions.