Intermediate Cantonese

Intermediate Cantonese course cover

by Beverly Hong-Fincher, PhD · with Helenia Pan and Laura Wong

In Intermediate Cantonese, learn to speak and understand Cantonese through discussions of contemporary topics between two good friends.

  • 20 video clips with native speakers
  • Over 10,000 audio recordings
  • Custom on-screen Cantonese keyboard
  • Interactive exercises through Moodle

This course costs only $9.99/month (3 months minimum)

Watch video and learn about greetings, shopping, food, dining out, weather, education, literature, holiday traditions, and more. With our specially designed video player for language learning you can pause the video at any point and scroll the transcription. Read annotations about culture and grammar. Click on almost any word or sentence to hear it spoken, along with translations.

This course can be used either by independent learners or by students in a traditional or self-instructional classroom setting, and is the equivalent of the material covered in a one-year college course.

This course was originally published as part of the highly reviewed University of Arizona Critical Languages Series. We have added many new mobile-friendly features that help you learn Cantonese on desktops, tablets, and smartphones. It contains 20 video clips and over 10,000 audio recordings made by native speakers.

Multiple Choice, Fill in the blank, and Listening Dictation exercises are provided for each lesson. A searchable audio glossary with thousands of words and translations helps you find every occurrence of a word or part of a word in all of the lessons.

A custom on-screen keyboard is provided for Cantonese romanization.

This course costs only $9.99/month (3 months minimum)

Sample Video

Table of Contents and Sample Lessons with Video

Try one of the sample lessons below with video, transcriptions, annotations, translations, and individual word and sentence audio recordings:

  1. WWW.COM
  2. Yám Chàh (Drinking Tea)
  3. Gihnhòng Mahntàih Yàt (SARS)
  4. Oi Jì Behng (AIDS)
  5. Yàmngohk (Music)
  6. Hohk Póutùngwá (Learning Mandarin)
  7. Pingyàm (Pinyin)
  8. Sàmjan Gìngjai Dahkkèui (Special Economic Zone)
  9. Wàhyàhn ge Gìngyihm: Yàt (Becoming American: Part 1)
  10. Wàhyàhn ge Gìngyihm: Yih (Becoming American: Part 2)
  11. Dūng-Gwok Sīnsāang (Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf: Part 1)
  12. Dūng-Gwok Sīnsāang (Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf: Part 2)
  13. Dūng-Gwok Sīnsāang (Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf: Part 3)
  14. Dūng-Gwok Sīnsāang (Mr. Dongguo and the Wolf: Part 4)
  15. Jūnggwok-yàhn Góng Jihyàuh Tùhng Màhnjyú (Chinese Talk About Freedom and Democracy)
  16. Gáu Yāt Yāt (9-11)
  17. Sing Mìhng (Names)
  18. Lèuhng Chàh (Cooling Tea)
  19. Gwo Nìhn (The New Year)
  20. Ou-wahn-wúi (Olympics)

About the Author

Beverly Hong-Fincher, PhD received her Ph.D. from Indiana University in linguistics, and M.A. from University of Michigan, also in linguistics. Her B.A. is from Taiwan National University in Foreign Languages and Literatures. Her teaching experience includes the University of Washington (Seattle), Middlebury College, George Washington University (founder of the Chinese Program), Connecticut College (Chair of Chinese and Japanese) and the Australian National University. Aside from her early work on Navaho, “The Phonemic Status of Navaho Stress” in Anthropological Linguistics, her later publications mainly focus on content-based language teaching/learning and sociolinguistics. She has published two books in the field of Mandarin Chinese: “Situational Chinese“, New World Press, Beijing (audio recorded by actors of the People’s Art Theatre); “Speak Chinese Today“, Charles Tuttle, Tokyo. Among her better-known students is Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia.

Course materials © 1995–2026 Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona. Used under license.

Frequently asked questions

How much material does Intermediate Cantonese cover?

Intermediate Cantonese covers the equivalent of a full year of college-level Cantonese instruction — roughly 120 hours of material — delivered as structured video lessons with full transcriptions and translations.

Do I need any prior experience to take Intermediate Cantonese?

Some. Intermediate Cantonese is designed for learners who already have a beginner's foundation in Cantonese — about a year of study, or our Beginning Cantonese course.

How are the lessons delivered?

The course is fully online and self-paced. You learn from native-speaker videos with on-screen transcriptions and translations, then practice with interactive exercises — on any device, on your own schedule.

How much does Intermediate Cantonese cost?

Access is $9.99/month with a three-month minimum, and one subscription unlocks the entire course.

Who created Intermediate Cantonese?

Intermediate Cantonese was originally created by the University of Arizona Critical Languages Program as part of the Critical Languages Series. It was designed by Beverly Hong-Fincher, PhD, published by Language Canvas, and used under license.