Chinese Language Day
About Chinese Language Day
When is Chinese Language Day? This holiday is always observed on April 20
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (UNESCO) recognizes six languages as official languages of the UN. They are six of the most spoken languages in the world. Mandarin Chinese is one of these six languages. In recognition and celebration of these languages, each one was given a special holiday. Chinese Language Day is today, an April 20 holiday.
Chinese Language Day was created by UNESCO. The goal for this day is to celebrate multilingual and cultural diversity, and to recognize and celebrate Chinese as one of the six official languages of the United Nations. This special holiday also pays tribute to Cang Jie, a legendary figure who invented Chinese characters over 5,000 years ago.
Chinese Mandarin or Putonghua, is the native language of over 1 billion people. There are over 200 dialects of Chinese, with many so diverse, that they could be considered their own language group. The most common of these is Mandarin, which is the official language (or dialect) of the People’s Republic of China. It is also widely spoken in Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore. After Mandarin, the most commonly spoken Chinese languages, or dialects, are Wu, Shanghainese, Hongkongese, and Cantonese.
Ranking Chinese Languages
There are literally hundreds of Chinese languages and dialects. Here are the top five:
- Mandarin (Potonghua) – It is the official language of The People’s Republic of China. Over 900 million people speak it daily.
- Cantonese – 85 million people in southern China speak this language. It is commonly spoken in Guangdong province, Hong Kong, and Macau.
- Wu Chinese or Shangainese – About 80 million people in and around Shanghai speak this language.
- Min Chinese – Approximately 70 million people in Fujian province of the PRC and in Taiwan call this their native tongue.
- Xiang Chinese – Over 38 million in or near Hunan province speak this language. Among them is Chairman Mao Zedong.
UNESCO Language Days
The six language days established by UNESCO are:
| Language: | Celebrated On: | Comment: |
| Arabic | December 18 | On this day in 1973, the UN General Assembly adopted Arabic as the sixth official UN language. |
| Chinese | April 20 | Pays tribute to Cang Jie, a legendary figure who invented Chinese characters over 5,000 years ago. |
| English | April 23 | Both the birth and death date of William Shakespeare |
| French | March 20 | Commemorates the founding anniversary of the Organization international de la Francophonie. |
| Russian | June 6 | Honors the birthday of Alexander Pushkin, the father of Russian literature. |
| Spanish | April 23 | Honors Spanish novelist, poet and playwright Don Miguel Cervantes Saavedra, died on April 23. |
How to Celebrate Chinese Language Day
Over a billion people in China alone will celebrate this holiday. So too will millions more around the world.
Take Mandarin language lessons.
Learn more about the Chinese people and their culture.
Celebrate with Chinese Fortune Cookies.
Today's Quote
“Drop by drop the water pot is filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.” – – Buddha
History and Origin of Chinese Language Day
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) created this international holiday in 2010.
This Day in History
In addition to today’s holiday, here are some other things that happened on this day:
- The first known performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth” is performed at Globe Theatre in London, England. (1611)
- The final episode of the television series “Soap” airs. (1981)
- Actor Shemar Moore, actor, “S.W.A.T.”, “Criminal Minds” was born on this day in 1970.
Related Holidays and Information
People who like Chinese Language Day will also like:
Fried Rice Day – It goes with any Chinese main course meal.
Chinese Language Day at China Unique
Confucius Says – funny proverbs.
More April 20 Holidays
In addition to Chinese Language Day, here are more April 20 holidays we are sure you will enjoy:
More About Today
This Day in History – Indeed, many other important events occurred on this date in April. See what happened on this date in history.
Famous April Birthdays – Did you ever wonder what famous people share your birth date? If so, then find out now!
Ecards – Send a free Ecard daily for Chinese Language Day or just about any calendar holiday, occasion, observance, or event. Undoubtedly, it’s fun for both the sender and the recipient.
Flower of the Day: Chinese Lantern
Recipe of the Day: Ginger Beef Stir Fry
Holiday Insights, where every day in April is a holiday, a bizarre or wacky day, an observance, or a special event. Join us in the daily calendar fun each and every day of the year.
Did You Know? Besides Chinese Language Day, there are literally thousands of daily holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. What’s more, many of these holidays are new. People and organizations are creating new holidays regularly. April holidays are no exception. Consequently, at Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and document the details of each one, as completely and accurately as possible.