Portuguese

As one of the most widely used languages in the world, the ability to communicate in Portuguese enhances career opportunities in fields such as finance, business, engineering, hospitality and tourism, marketing, education, interpreting, translation as well as the non-governmental organisation sector.

Portuguese is the mother tongue of more than 250 million people and the official language in nine countries – Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Timor-Leste. It is also an official language of the Macau Special Administrative Region of China. It plays an important role in international relations as a working language of the European Union, its Latin American equivalent Mercosul, and the African Union.

The volume of trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries has grown remarkably in recent years. China has been the principal trading partner of Brazil for over a decade. With approximately 210 million people, Brazil has the largest population and economy of South America. As trade links between Brazil and other countries grow, proficiency in Portuguese is becoming very important.

At The University of Hong Kong you can Major in Global and Area Studies with a language concentration in Portuguese or obtain a Minor in Portuguese.

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May & November 2025 CAPLE Exams - International Certification in Portuguese as a Foreign Language