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Cantonese transcription: turn voice recordings into text
Choose Cantonese as the language of your recording and QuickNotes transcribes it, then summarizes it and builds flashcards and a quiz. Made for iPhone.
Free to download · Cantonese and Mandarin among 14 languages
Voice to text for Cantonese speakers
Many transcription tools are built for English first, and Cantonese often feels like an afterthought. QuickNotes lets you choose Cantonese as a transcription language, alongside Mandarin (both Simplified and Traditional) and eleven other languages. That is useful for lectures taught in Cantonese, study groups in Hong Kong or Guangdong, interviews, family recordings and meetings.
After the transcript, QuickNotes can write a concise or detailed summary and turn it into flashcards and a quiz, which is where most transcription apps stop short.
How to transcribe Cantonese in QuickNotes
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Select Cantonese
Choose Cantonese as the language of the recording before you transcribe.
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Read and study
Read the transcript, generate a summary, then make flashcards and a quiz.
Pick the language that matches the speech
Cantonese and Mandarin are different spoken languages, not two accents of one. A recording of a lecture in Cantonese should be transcribed as Cantonese, and a Putonghua lecture as Mandarin. Choosing the wrong one is the most common reason for a poor result. If your recording mixes the two, choose the language that makes up most of it.
Real-life Cantonese also mixes in English words, especially in university teaching, where course terms and names are often said in English. Expect these places to need a quick read-through. For a deeper guide, read our article on Cantonese vs Mandarin transcription tips.
Recording tips that help accuracy
- Keep the microphone close. A phone within about a metre of the speaker gives much clearer audio than one across a room. In a lecture hall, sit as near the front as you can.
- Cut background noise. Close the door, turn off fans where possible, and avoid cafes or streets for interviews.
- One speaker at a time. Overlapping speech is hard for any transcription system. In group discussions, ask people to take turns.
- Speak at a natural pace. Very fast or mumbled speech lowers accuracy.
- Run a short test. Record a few sentences, transcribe them, and check how the result reads before you record something long.
What you can do with a Cantonese transcript
Once your recording is transcribed, you can:
- Read it and search it to find where a topic was discussed.
- Generate a concise or detailed AI summary to review the main points.
- Use Study mode to create 10 flashcards and a 5-question multiple-choice quiz.
- Organize the recording in a course, tag it, and export or share it.
See lecture transcription for the general workflow, and flashcards from lectures for Study mode in more detail. There is also a Traditional Chinese version of our homepage.
Common questions from Cantonese users
Will the transcript match how I speak?
Spoken Cantonese has vocabulary and grammar that differ from formal written Chinese, and different tools handle that gap differently. Because we cannot promise a specific written style, run a short test recording and check that the output suits your needs.
Can I use it for names and specialist terms?
Names, places and technical vocabulary are where automatic transcription is most likely to slip. Check them against your source material.
Limits to keep in mind
Transcription is never perfect. Accuracy depends on audio quality, accent, speaking speed, background noise and vocabulary. Treat the result as a first draft that saves you time, and review anything important. If you record other people, check your school's or workplace's policy and ask permission first. This is general guidance and not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Does QuickNotes support Cantonese?
Yes. Cantonese is one of 14 transcription languages you can choose in QuickNotes. The others are English, Mandarin (Simplified and Traditional), Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and Hindi.
Can I transcribe a Cantonese audio file I already have?
Yes. Import MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, AIFF or FLAC audio from your device, choose Cantonese, and transcribe.
Is Cantonese different from Mandarin in the app?
Yes. Cantonese and Mandarin are separate options. Choose the one that matches the spoken language of your recording.
What if my recording mixes Cantonese and English?
Choose the main language of the recording. Mixed-language speech and English terms may need a manual check afterwards.
How can I make the transcript more accurate?
Record close to the speaker, reduce background noise, avoid overlapping speech, and test with a short clip first.
Can I get flashcards from a Cantonese lecture?
Yes. After transcribing and summarizing, Study mode builds 10 flashcards and a 5-question multiple-choice quiz from the summary.
Keep reading
Ready to try it on your next lecture?
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