Shanghainese

Shanghainese, a variety of Wu Chinese, is spoken by around 14 million people, primarily in Shanghai and the surrounding Yangtze River Delta region. It is a tonal language with a rich vowel inventory and an analytic grammar. Written with Chinese characters, Shanghainese differs significantly in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar from Mandarin, making it largely mutually unintelligible. It carries the cultural flavor of Shanghai’s history as a major trade and cultural hub, though it faces decline in daily use due to the dominance of Mandarin.