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OUR LEARNING METHOD

How Canto School teaches Cantonese

Canto School is designed for English speakers who want useful Hong Kong Cantonese, not a giant vocabulary list. Each lesson connects a situation, a sound, a written form, and a small next step.

Start with the conversation you actually need

The course is organised around moments such as greetings, café orders, directions, introductions, shopping, and asking someone to repeat themselves. A phrase is easier to remember when you know what it is for.

The web phrase library exposes the same practical direction in a searchable, listenable form.

Hear a saved recording before you speak

Every published phrase pairs its written answer with an audio recording from the Canto School library. Listen first, then repeat the complete line rather than assembling a sentence from English word order.

Some phrases also have a short pronunciation video. The video repeats the Cantonese line, Traditional Chinese, Jyutping, and English meaning so you can pause and replay the same example.

Use Traditional Chinese and Jyutping together

Traditional Chinese keeps the written form connected to the Hong Kong context. Jyutping gives English-speaking beginners a practical way to revisit a syllable and its tone number. Neither replaces listening; each makes the recording easier to return to.

Read more about the writing system in How to read Jyutping.

Practise without an account

Canto School keeps learner progress on the device. Speaking practice is temporary and is not uploaded. The app is available for iPhone running iOS 16.4 or later, and the first stage is free to learn.

See the About page and privacy policy for the operator, access, and data details.

What this method is for

This is a beginner route into practical spoken Cantonese. It is a good fit if you want to understand and say useful lines for daily life, build listening confidence, and return to the same phrase until it feels familiar.

It is not a promise of instant fluency or a substitute for regular conversation with Cantonese speakers. Treat the app as a small, repeatable practice habit that helps you take the next real-world step.