Cantonese
粵語
yue
85M speakers
Cantonese
(粵語)
is a Sino-Tibetan language
with approximately 85M speakers speakers.
It is written using the
Han (Traditional variant)
script.
Its BCP 47 language code is yue.
Writing Systems Used for Cantonese
Frequently Asked Questions
What alphabet or script does Cantonese use?
Cantonese is written using the Han (Traditional variant) script (ISO 15924 code: Hant). Han (Traditional variant) is written left-to-right.
What direction is Cantonese written?
Cantonese is written Left-to-right. Text runs from left to right, the same direction as most European languages.
How many people speak Cantonese?
Cantonese has approximately 85M speakers speakers worldwide. It is a member of the Sino-Tibetan language family.
What language family does Cantonese belong to?
Cantonese belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It is written with the Han (Traditional variant) script.
What is the language code for Cantonese?
The BCP 47 language code for Cantonese is "yue". This code is used in software, web standards (the HTML lang attribute), and internationalization contexts.
Language Facts
- BCP 47 Code
- yue
- ISO 639-3
- yue
- Status
- living
- Speakers
- 85M speakers
- Language Family
- Sino-Tibetan
- Scripts
- 1
- Primary Script
- Han (Traditional variant)
Other Han (Traditional variant) Languages
Data sourced from Unicode CLDR and ISO 639-3. Last updated April 20, 2026.