Hmong (RPA: Hmoob) or Mong (RPA: Moob) is the common name for a group of dialects of the West Hmongic (Chuanqiandian) branch of the Hmong-Mien/Miao-Yao language family spoken by the Hmong people of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, northern Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. The total number of speakers worldwide has been estimated to be more than 4 million, including over 200,000 Hmong Americans. Some dialects are mutually intelligible while others are so distinct as to be considered separate languages.

The two dialects described here are known as White Hmong (also called Hmong Der or Hmong Daw) and Green Mong (also called Mong Leng or Mong Njua). These are the two major dialects spoken by Hmong Americans. While mutually intelligible, the dialects differ in both lexicon and certain aspects of phonology. For instance, Green Mong lacks the aspirated /m/ of Hmong Der and has a third nasalized vowel, /ã/. In English, “Hmong” is used to include both Hmong Der and Mong Leng, although some have suggested a compromise, such as: H’Mong, Mhong, or (H)Mong.