Wu Chinese

Wu Chinese is the second most popular language in China. It is spoken by an estimated 90 million people. Wu is spoken in a number of regions of China, but the dialects spoken in Shanghai and Suzhou are thought to be the most sophisticated. Wu Chinese is considered to be the modern day version of Han, which was a popular language hundreds of … Keep Reading → years ago. The origins of the language are thought to go back about 1500 years. There are regional variations in Wu, but most people who speak the language can understand the other dialects. Wu Chinese relies on the same set of characters that are used in Mandarin Chinese. Because of its unique vocabulary, and tonal nuances though, Wu is considered very much a separate language from Mandarin. Because Mandarin is the official language of the country and taught in schools, many younger generations of traditional Wu speakers are now speaking Mandarin.