How many accents are there in Mandarin?

First Let’s tackle Mandarin Chinese All these variations of Chinese have a representative dialect, for example in Standard Mandarin it is the Beijing dialect. This is probably the most studied area of Chinese dialect differentiation. Based on the distinctions online, there are 93 dialects of Mandarin.

Do people speak Mandarin with an accent in China?

Regardless where in China you are, most people you encounter will not speak Mandarin with the standard accent you’re used to from your teacher or textbook recordings. Indeed, this is true for native speakers of Mandarin as well, as the official standard is not the same as the Beijing dialect, although they do overlap to a large extent.

How difficult is it to learn Mandarin Chinese?

This means that real people you talk to in China will bring bits and pieces of their native tongue into their Mandarin, or will speak it with a regional flavour. At first, this looks like a daunting challenge for learners, because even slight differences in sounds might make you unable to understand anything.

Is the Beijing dialect the same as the Standard Mandarin?

Indeed, this is true for native speakers of Mandarin as well, as the official standard is not the same as the Beijing dialect, although they do overlap to a large extent. In general, people will not speak perfectly standard Mandarin unless they have trained specifically to do so, and it is required for teachers, news broadcasters and so on.

How many people speak Standard Chinese in China?

According to 新华 ( Xīnhuá ), a state-run news agency, 73 \% of the Chinese population spoke some form of Standard Chinese (普通话, Pǔtōnghuà) in 2015. This does not mean that they all speak it as their first language, though, as it’s very common to speak another topolect at home and learn Mandarin through education, mainstream media and so on.