What is mandarin?
Mandarin is the most widely spoken Chinese language. It is often referred to as Modern Standard Chinese or Putonghua ( meaning the common tongue). Other forms of Chinese such as Cantonese, Hakka and Hokkien are common among overseas Chinese but within China, and in Taiwan, Mandarin is standard throughout the education system and in broadcasting. So Mandarin is often referred to simply as Chinese. The written language is the same for all kinds of Chinese language so all the different speakers are able to communicate by writing even if they cannot speak to each other.
