Cantonese, a major Sino-Tibetan language spoken in southern China, Hong Kong, and among many overseas Chinese communities, shares deep historical and linguistic roots with several other Chinese languages. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Cantonese are Hakka, Xiang, Gan, Wu, and Jin.
- Hakka Chinese 客家 (57.8)
Hakka and Cantonese share significant phonetic and lexical features, likely due to geographical proximity and historical interactions in southern China. Both preserve many archaic Middle Chinese sounds and exhibit a rich system of tones. Hakka’s consonant system and some shared vocabulary make it one of Cantonese’s closest relatives. - Xiang Chinese 湘语 (55.3)
Spoken primarily in Hunan province, Xiang (especially its “Old Xiang” variant) retains many features of Middle Chinese, much like Cantonese. Both languages exhibit conservative phonological traits, including voiced obstruents and a complex tone system, suggesting parallel linguistic evolution from a common ancestral root. - Gan Chinese 赣语 (55.1)
Mainly spoken in Jiangxi province, Gan Chinese shows similarities to Cantonese in tone structure and grammar. Though it has been influenced by Mandarin over time, its core structure still reflects older forms of Chinese, which align it more closely with Cantonese than with modern northern dialects. - Wu Chinese 吴语 (52.7)
Wu, the language family that includes Shanghainese, differs in tone and phonology but shares certain historical layers and vocabulary with Cantonese. Both have retained some voiced initials lost in Mandarin and exhibit flexibility in word order and particles, making them somewhat intelligible in basic forms. - Jin Chinese 晋语 (44.5)
Although Mandarin is widespread in Shanxi, Jin Chinese is spoken in in some parts of the province. Though geographically more northern than Cantonese, Jin Chinese maintains conservative features, similar to Cantonese. It also demonstrates a degree of syntactic and phonetic preservation from older Chinese.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)