How many countries speak Chinese?

It's not accurate to say a country "speaks" a language. A language is spoken by the people within a country.

Here's a breakdown of how to answer your question:

* Mandarin Chinese is the official language of: China, Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia.

* Mandarin Chinese is a major language in: Brunei and Thailand (though not an official language).

* Chinese dialects are spoken in many other countries: While not official languages, significant populations speak various Chinese dialects in many Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Therefore, it's not a simple number. Many countries have significant populations speaking Mandarin Chinese or other Chinese dialects.