The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, established in 1990 and entered into force in 1997, recognizes Chinese and English as the official languages of Hong Kong. This situation has developed because for a long time the population of Hong Kong, in which the majority are immigrants from China, was a British colony.
However, as a developed region, Hong Kong is also filled with migrants from all over the world who have brought their languages with them. There are also major and minor ethnic languages spoken by a significant number of people. But first things first.
English
During the colonial period and until 1974, English was the official language and the language of business in Hong Kong. Today, about 3% of the population are fluent in writing and speaking English, and almost 38% have basic conversational English skills.
Hong Kong is an international center, it is preferred for tourism, higher education and management. In the recent past, the Government has insisted on continuing the use of English in elementary and secondary schools.
Currently, the use of this language is predominant in urban centers and is decreasing as we move into the Chinese-dominated interior of China. The young population constantly uses English along with various Chinese dialects.
In 2025, the level of English in Hong Kong has dropped significantly. Even in neighboring Macau, English is much better known!
Don’t even think that a taxi driver in Hong Kong will understand English. Prepare the address in Chinese, preferably in traditional characters!
Chinese language
There are several dialects of Chinese in Hong Kong, but Cantonese and Mandarin are most common in urban centers, while the rest can be found in the interior. Both dialects are tonal languages that are not mutually intelligible.
Cantonese
The majority, 89% of households in Hong Kong, speak Cantonese. This language has nine complex tonal voices and many complex expressions.
In Hong Kong, the language retains traditional Chinese characters, although simplified characters are used on the mainland. Tourists who want to communicate with the locals should learn this language to make life easier and navigate the city.
Although Mandarin is the most widely spoken Chinese language worldwide, British colonization isolated Hong Kong Cantonese from the influence of mainland Mandarin, and consequently some English words found their way into the Cantonese vocabulary. Most local elementary and secondary schools use this language for teaching.
Mandarin (Putonghua, Beijing dialect)
25% of Hong Kong households speak Mandarin, which has spread since 1974, and even faster since 1997, when more interaction with mainland China became possible.
Mandarin is increasingly used today because children whose parents are from mainland China often grow up speaking the language, especially those who live closer to border areas.
In 2025, the situation is changing and the Beijing dialect is gaining momentum in Hong Kong! But slowly…
Other Chinese dialects
There are also many other dialects of Chinese spoken in Hong Kong, such as the Yue-Weitou dialects (preferred by the elderly in New Territories) and Tanka, which are mainly used in the villages of the fishing islands. Other dialects include Hakka, Minnan (Teoheu, Hokkien, and Taiwanese), Taishan, and Shanghainese.
Other international languages
Hong Kong is a multiethnic city and welcomes people from different ethnic backgrounds and religions. Among the international languages, French and Japanese are the most common. This fact is reflected in the number of restaurants, using French and Japanese names.
There are also over 5,000 native speakers of German in Hong Kong, as well as a significant number of native speakers of Korean, Filipino, Hindi, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Arabic.
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