Cantonese is a variety of Chinese primarily spoken in the Guangdong province, Hong Kong, and Macau. It is also commonly used in many overseas Chinese communities, especially in Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. Cantonese belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family and is known for its rich tonal system, typically consisting of six to nine tones, depending on the region. This tonal complexity makes it distinct from Mandarin, which uses fewer tones.