“Learning Cantonese the fun way!” — Aussie man learns Cantonese in 18 months

HONG KONG: An Australian man has impressed many in Hong Kong, the city where he currently lives, by learning Cantonese in just 18 months.

Jonas Groom, a strategy consultant and content creator from Sydney, has documented his journey learning the language on his Instagram account. The self-described “gwei low in Hong Kong” says in his bio that “he’s learning Cantonese the fun way.”

Recently, he’s even got his older brother, Hugo, in on the act, featuring in Instagram videos his sibling trying his hand at Cantonese as well.

Mr Groom’s achievement is no mean feat, as Cantonese is considered quite a challenging language for native English speakers to learn, although Mr Groom’s previous stint working in Beijing no doubt helped.

The United States Department of State has placed Cantonese in the “super-hard languages” group, or Category IV. Along with Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and Mandarin, Cantonese usually takes 88 weeks, or 2200 class hours, to learn.

Mr Groom was recently featured in a series of videos from Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE), a government agency that works to attract and support international talent to live and work in the city.

In the videos, his fascination with Hong Kong is on full display, and while he did not need to learn Chinese as a business professional in Hong Kong, admiration for the local culture has led him to study the language.

“Hong Kong’s business environment has been great for my professional development. It always pushes you to deliver high-quality work, which can sometimes be challenging but is always rewarding,” HKTE quoted Mr Groom as saying.

In one of the videos, Mr Groom said that Hong Kong’s vibrant culture captivated him and inspired him to learn Chinese.

“Despite having zero trouble communicating in daily life, I still try to speak in Cantonese as much as possible,” he says, sampling the local language by saying that he loves speaking in Cantonese with the locals.

“Their smiles of surprise from locals make me feel a connection to Hong Kong. I am here because this fascinating place, with its fusion of diverse cultures, offers me endless opportunities. Every day is a new chapter,” he says.

On Instagram, many say they are impressed with the progress Mr Groom has made with speaking Cantonese in such a short time.

“So impressed by your dedication, talent, and achievements!” wrote one.

 

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A post shared by Jonas G (@jgroomy1)

“So much respect for you to learn Cantonese, you’re doing fantastic! That’s how you get to dive into HK culture & people,” another chimed in. /TISG

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