Incredible map shows list of the 20 most spoken languages across China

A map reveals the fascinating amount of languages spoken in China. From Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, to Mongolian and Korean, China is definitely one of the world's countries with the most linguistic diversity. According to Babbel, there are over 300 living languages spoken in China. Mandarin is the most spoken language, especially in the northern, central and southwestern parts of the country.

According to Amazing Maps, about 1 billion people speak Mandarin and around 80 million speak Cantonese in the Guangdong province, Macau, and parts of Guangxi. Around 80 million also speak Wu around Shanghai, southern Jiangsu, and the Zhejiang provinces.

Min has about 70 million speakers in China, which has been categorised in three subgroups: Min Nan, Min-Bei and Min Dong.

Other languages included in the map are Hakka, Gan, Xiang, Jin, Pinghua, Tibetan, Uygur and Zhuang.

However, it is believed that some of these languages could be under threat.

Dr Gerald Roche from La Trobe University said in 2022: "Most people in China, whether they belong to the Han majority or a minority group, speak an unrecognised language.

"These languages are at risk of erasure or suppression, limiting the options of those who speak them and putting them at a disadvantage in favour of recognised languages."

"People who use these unrecognised languages face linguistic barriers everywhere: in schools, media, government, healthcare, the legal system and more."

"There’s a clear demonstration of the gradual dilution of the Chinese constitution’s language freedoms, which is part of a broader plan to universalise Mandarin among the entire population."

He added that the languages that have been recognised such as Uyghur, Mongolian, and Tibetan are being suppressed little by little through insufficient resources with many children being taught only in Mandarin.

Here is a list of some of the most spoken languages in China according to the map:

1. Mandarin (Putonghua)

2. Mongolian

3. Tibetan

4. Uygur

5. Korean

6. Cantonese (Yue)

7. Wu (Shanghainese)

8. Hakka (Kejia)

9. Min (including Min-Nan, Min-Dong, Min-Bei)

10. Zhuang

11. Jin

12. Gan

13. Xiang (Hunanese)

14. Pinghua

15. Tibetan (subgroups include Amdo and Khams)

16. Kazakh

17. Yi (Nuosu)

18. Hani

19. Lisu

20. Naxi