Mandarin is often referred to as a dialect, but it is actually a language in its own right. While it is related to other Chinese languages and dialects, such as Cantonese, Hokkien, and Hakka, it has its own unique characteristics and features that make it distinct from these other languages.
Chinese characters are the written form of the Chinese language. They have been in use for thousands of years and are one of the oldest continuously-used writing systems in the world. Unlike alphabetic languages, which use a small number of letters to represent sounds, each Chinese character represents a unique meaning.