Cantonese phrases | Most common phrases for everyday life

Cantonese phrases – Here you will find the most common phrases in Cantonese with translation. | Free & useful

Cantonese phrases are short expressions or idioms often used in speech to be polite, express gratitude, greet or say goodbye or simply to have a pleasant conversation.

They are an important part of Cantonese culture and can be useful in different situations, both in private and business life.

Cantonese phrases you should know

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Greet someone in Cantonese

If you want to greet someone in Cantonese, it’s actually quite easy:

English	Cantonese	IPA
Welcome! in Cantonese	歡迎！	[fʰuːn⁵⁵ jɪŋ²¹]
Good day to you! in Cantonese	祝你今日愉快！	[tsʊk̚⁵ nɐi̯¹³ kɐm⁵⁵ jɐt̚²² jyː²¹ faːi̯³³]
Good morning to you! in Cantonese	早晨！	[tsou̯³⁵ sɐn²¹]
Good evening! in Cantonese	晚安！	[maːn²¹ ɔːn⁵⁵]
Good to see you. in Cantonese	見到你真好。	[kiːn³³ tou̯²⁵ nɐi̯¹³ t͡sɐn⁵⁵ hɔu̯²¹]
I’m glad to see you. in Cantonese	見到你我好開心。	[kiːn³³ tou̯²⁵ nɐi̯¹³ ŋɔː²¹ hɔːi̯⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵]

If you are greeted in Cantonese, the best way to respond is as follows:

English	Cantonese	IPA
Have a nice day too! in Cantonese	祝你今日都愉快！	[tsʊk̚⁵ nɐi̯¹³ kɐm⁵⁵ jɐt̚²² tou̯⁵⁵ jyː²¹ faːi̯³³]
Thanks, it’s nice to see you too. in Cantonese	多謝你，我都好開心見到你。	[tɔː⁵⁵ tsɛː²² nɐi̯¹³ ŋɔː¹³ tou̯⁵⁵ hou̯³⁵ hɔːi̯⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵ kiːn³³ tou̯²⁵ nɐi̯¹³]

How is my dialogue partner?

As in any other country, it is polite to start by asking where the person you are talking to is located. Here’s how you do it:

English	Cantonese	IPA
How are you doing? in Cantonese	你點呀？	[nei̯¹³ tiːm²⁵ aː³³]
Are you doing well? in Cantonese	你好嗎？	[nei̯¹³ hou̯²⁵ maː³³]

If you are asked how you feel, you can answer with the following phrases:

English	Cantonese	IPA
Thank you for asking, I am fine.	多謝你關心，我幾好。	[tɔː⁵⁵ tsɛː²² nei̯¹³ kwaːn⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵, ŋɔː¹³ kei̯²⁵ hou̯²⁵]
Thank you, I am fine.	多謝，我幾好。	[tɔː⁵⁵ tsɛː²², ŋɔː¹³ kei̯²⁵ hou̯²⁵]
Thank you, I am not doing so well.	多謝，我唔太好。	[tɔː⁵⁵ tsɛː²², ŋɔː¹³ m̩²¹ tʰaːi̯³³ hou̯²¹]
Thanks, I’m fine. How are you doing?	多謝，我幾好。你點呀？	[tɔː⁵⁵ tsɛː²², ŋɔː¹³ kei̯²⁵ hou̯²⁵. nei̯¹³ tiːm²⁵ aː³³]

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More information about the Cantonese Language Course.

How do I say goodbye to someone in Cantonese?

Saying goodbye to a friend or stranger in Cantonese is not that difficult. Just use the following phrases:

English	Cantonese	IPA
Goodbye! in Cantonese	再見！	[tsɔːy̯˧ kɪːn˧]
Take care of yourself! in Cantonese	保重！	[pou̯˧ tsʊŋ˨]
Goodbye in Cantonese	再見	[tsɔːy̯˧ kɪːn˧]
See you tomorrow in Cantonese	聽日見！	[tʰeŋ˥ jɐt̚˨ kɪːn˧]
See you soon in Cantonese	好快見！	[hou̯˧ faːi̯˧ kɪːn˧]
See you later in Cantonese	陣間見！	[tsɐn˨ kaːn˥ kɪːn˧]
Good night in Cantonese	晚安！	[maːn˩ ɔːn˥]
Sleep well in Cantonese	瞓得好！	[fɐn˧ tɐk̚˥ hou̯˧]
Talk to you later. in Cantonese	之後再傾。	[tsiː˥ hɐu̯˨ tsɔːy̯˧ kʰɪŋ˥]
Nice to have met you! in Cantonese	好開心識到你！	[hou̯˧ hɔːi̯˥ sɐm˥ sɪk̚˥ tou̯˧ nei̯˩]

How do I introduce myself in Cantonese?

When travelling in South-China, sooner or later you will come into contact with local people. Naturally, you’ll want to introduce yourself in Cantonese and know who you’re talking to.

English	Cantonese	IPA
My name is Jonas.	我叫約拿斯。	[ŋɔː˩ kɪu̯˧ jœːk̚˥ naː²¹ sɪː⁵⁵]
What is your name?	你叫咩名？	[nei̯¹³ kɪu̯˧ mɛː˥˩ mɛːŋ²¹]
What is your surname? –	你姓咩？	[nei̯¹³ sɪŋ˥ mɛː˥˩]
What is your first name? –	你個名叫咩？	[nei̯¹³ kɔː˧ mɛːŋ²¹ kɪu̯˧ mɛː˥˩]
What is your surname?	你姓咩？	[nei̯¹³ sɪŋ˥ mɛː˥˩]

If you want to tell people where you come from, the following sentences are useful:

English	Cantonese	IPA
Where do you come from?	你係邊度嚟㗎？	[nei̯¹³ hɐi̯²¹ pɪn⁵⁵ tou̯²² lɐi̯²¹ kɐː³³]
I am from London.	我係倫敦嚟㗎。	[ŋɔː˩ hɐi̯²¹ lɐn²¹ tɵn⁵⁵ lɐi̯²¹ kɐː³³]
Are you from Birmingham?	你係咪伯明翰嚟㗎？	[nei̯¹³ hɐi̯²¹ mɐi̯²¹ paːk̚⁵ mɪŋ²¹ hɔːn²¹ lɐi̯²¹ kɐː³³]
No, I’m from Madrid.	唔係，我係馬德里嚟㗎。	[m̩²¹ hɐi̯²¹, ŋɔː˩ hɐi̯²¹ maː²¹ tɐk̚⁵ lei̯²¹ lɐi̯²¹ kɐː³³]
Great, I’m from Madrid too.	好呀，我都係馬德里嚟㗎。	[hou̯²⁵ aː³, ŋɔː˩ tou̯⁵⁵ hɐi̯²¹ maː²¹ tɐk̚⁵ lei̯²¹ lɐi̯²¹ kɐː³³]
Where do you live?	你住邊度？	[nei̯¹³ t͡syː²² pɪn⁵⁵ tou̯²²]
I live in Berlin.	我住喺柏林。	[ŋɔː˩ t͡syː²² hɐi̯²¹ pʰaːk̚⁵ lɐm²¹]

If you have problems with your Cantonese, it is good to know which languages are still spoken:

English	Cantonese	IPA
Do you speak English?	你識唔識講英文？	[nei̯¹³ sɪk̚⁵ m̩²¹ sɪk̚⁵ kɔːŋ²⁵ jɪŋ⁵⁵ mɐn²¹]
Yes, I speak English.	識呀，我識講英文。	[sɪk̚⁵ aː³³, ŋɔː˩ sɪk̚⁵ kɔːŋ²⁵ jɪŋ⁵⁵ mɐn²¹]
Yes, I speak some English.	識呀，我識少少英文。	[sɪk̚⁵ aː³³, ŋɔː˩ sɪk̚⁵ siːu²⁵ siːu²⁵ jɪŋ⁵⁵ mɐn²¹]
No, I do not speak any English.	唔識呀，我唔識講英文。	[m̩²¹ sɪk̚⁵ aː³³, ŋɔː˩ m̩²¹ sɪk̚⁵ kɔːŋ²⁵ jɪŋ⁵⁵ mɐn²¹]
I only speak English.	我淨係識講英文。	[ŋɔː˩ tsɪŋ⁶ hɐi̯²¹ sɪk̚⁵ kɔːŋ²⁵ jɪŋ⁵⁵ mɐn²¹]
I understand some Cantonese.	我聽得明少少廣東話。	[ŋɔː˩ tʰɛːŋ⁵⁵ tɐk̚⁵ mɪŋ²¹ siːu²⁵ siːu²⁵ kwɔːŋ²⁵ tʊŋ⁵⁵ waː²¹]

Useful sentences with ‘I am…’

The following sentences will help you orientate yourself in Cantonese and express your wishes and concerns:

English	Cantonese	IPA
I am English. in Cantonese	我係英國人。	[ŋɔː˩ hɐi̯²¹ jɪŋ⁵⁵ kwɔːk̚⁵ jɐn²¹]
I am injured. in Cantonese	我受傷。	[ŋɔː˩ sɐu̯²¹ sœːŋ⁵⁵]
I am here. in Cantonese	我喺度。	[ŋɔː˩ hɐi̯²¹ tou̯²²]
I am hungry. in Cantonese	我肚餓。	[ŋɔː˩ tou̯¹³ ŋɔː²¹]
I am thirsty. in Cantonese	我口渴。	[ŋɔː˩ hɐu̯²⁵ hɔːt̚³]
I am a single person. in Cantonese	我單身。	[ŋɔː˩ taːn¹ sɐn⁵⁵]
I need help! in Cantonese	我需要幫手！	[ŋɔː˩ sɵy̯⁵⁵ jɪu̯⁵⁵ pɔːŋ⁵⁵ sɐu̯²¹]
I am tired. in Cantonese	我攰。	[ŋɔː˩ kʷɵy̯²²]
I am happy. in Cantonese	我開心。	[ŋɔː˩ hɔːi̯⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵]
I am sad. in Cantonese	我傷心。	[ŋɔː˩ sœːŋ⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵]
I am in love. in Cantonese	我拍拖緊。	[ŋɔː˩ pʰaːk̚⁵ tʰɔː⁵⁵ kɐn²¹]
I am ill. in Cantonese	我病咗。	[ŋɔː˩ pɛːŋ²¹ tsɔː³]
I am ready. in Cantonese	我準備好。	[ŋɔː˩ tsɵn²⁵ pei̯²² hou̯²⁵]
I am busy. in Cantonese	我好忙。	[ŋɔː˩ hou̯²⁵ mɔːŋ²¹]
I am lost. in Cantonese	我迷路。	[ŋɔː˩ mɐi̯²¹ lou̯²²]
I am a tourist. in Cantonese	我係遊客。	[ŋɔː˩ hɐi̯²¹ jɐu̯²¹ hɐːk̚³]
I am new here. in Cantonese	我啱啱嚟。	[ŋɔː˩ ʔaːm⁵⁵ ʔaːm⁵⁵ lɐi̯²¹]
I am confident. in Cantonese	我有信心。	[ŋɔː˩ jɐu̯²¹ sɵn³³ sɐm⁵⁵]
I am proud. in Cantonese	我好自豪。	[ŋɔː˩ hou̯²⁵ tsiː²² hɔu̯²¹]
I am a teacher. in Cantonese	我係老師。	[ŋɔː˩ hɐi̯²¹ lou̯²⁵ siː⁵⁵]
I am late. in Cantonese	我遲到。	[ŋɔː˩ t͡sʰiː²¹ tou̯³³]
I am 30 years old. in Cantonese	我三十歲。	[ŋɔː˩ saːm⁵⁵ sɐp̚² sɵy̯³³]
I am in a hurry. in Cantonese	我趕時間。	[ŋɔː˩ kɔːn²¹ siː²¹ gaːn⁵⁵]
I am happy. in Cantonese	我開心。	[ŋɔː˩ hɔːi̯⁵⁵ sɐm⁵⁵]
I am surprised. in Cantonese	我好驚訝。	[ŋɔː˩ hou̯²⁵ kɛːŋ⁵⁵ ŋaː²¹]
I am angry. in Cantonese	我好嬲。	[ŋɔː˩ hou̯²⁵ lɐu̯⁵⁵]

Apologising in Cantonese

Here’s how to apologise to a Cantonese speaker:

English	Cantonese	IPA
I apologise.	對唔住。	[tɵy̯˥ m̩˨ ts͡yː²¹]
Sorry, that was not the intention.	對唔住，唔係故意㗎。	[tɵy̯˥ m̩˨ ts͡yː²¹, m̩˨ hɐi̯²¹ kuː³³ jiː³³ kɐː³³]
Sorry, I did not do it on purpose.	對唔住，我唔係特登㗎。	[tɵy̯˥ m̩˨ ts͡yː²¹, ŋɔː˩ m̩˨ hɐi̯²¹ tɐk̚⁵ tɐŋ¹ kɐː³³]
Sorry, that was very clumsy of me.	對唔住，我好笨手笨腳。	[tɵy̯˥ m̩˨ ts͡yː²¹, ŋɔː˩ hou̯²⁵ pɐn²¹ sɐu̯²¹ pɐn²¹ kœːk̚³]

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More information about the Cantonese Intermediate Course.

Useful signs and notices in Cantonese

Useful signs and messages in Cantonese that you will often see.

English	Cantonese	IPA
Entrance in Cantonese	入口	[jɐp̚˨ hɐu̯˧]
Toilet in Cantonese	廁所	[tsʰiː˥ sɔː˧˥]
Exit in Cantonese	出口	[tsʰɵt̚˥ hɐu̯˧]
Attention! in Cantonese	注意！	[tsyː˧ jiː˥]
Police in Cantonese	警察	[kɪŋ˧˥ tsʰaːt̚˥]
Emergency services in Cantonese	急救	[kɐp̚˥ kɐu̯˧]
Fire brigade in Cantonese	消防隊	[siːu̯˥ fɔːŋ˩ dɵy̯˨]
Passage forbidden. in Cantonese	禁止通行。	[kɐm˧˥ tsiː˧ tʰʊŋ˥ hɐŋ˩]
Caution! in Cantonese	小心！	[siːu̯˧˥ sɐm˥]
This building is under video surveillance. in Cantonese	此建築已被閉路電視監察。	[tsʰiː˧˥ kin˥ tsʊk̚˥ jiː²² pei̯˨ pɐi̯˧ lou̯˨ tiːn˨ siː˨ kaːm˥ tsʰaːt̚˧]

Numbers to 25 in Cantonese

Counting in Cantonese is not that difficult. Here are the numbers in Cantonese from 1 to 25.

English	Cantonese	IPA
1 in Cantonese	一	[jɐt̚⁵]
2 in Cantonese	二	[jiː²¹]
3 in Cantonese	三	[saːm⁵⁵]
4 in Cantonese	四	[sei̯³³]
5 in Cantonese	五	[ŋ̍⁵]
6 in Cantonese	六	[lʊk̚²¹]
7 in Cantonese	七	[tsʰɐt̚⁵]
8 in Cantonese	八	[paːt̚³]
9 in Cantonese	九	[kɐu̯²⁵]
10 in Cantonese	十	[sɐp̚²¹]
11 in Cantonese	十一	[sɐp̚²¹ jɐt̚⁵]
12 in Cantonese	十二	[sɐp̚²¹ jiː²¹]
13 in Cantonese	十三	[sɐp̚²¹ saːm⁵⁵]
14 in Cantonese	十四	[sɐp̚²¹ sei̯³³]
15 in Cantonese	十五	[sɐp̚²¹ ŋ̍⁵]
16 in Cantonese	十六	[sɐp̚²¹ lʊk̚²¹]
17 in Cantonese	十七	[sɐp̚²¹ tsʰɐt̚⁵]
18 in Cantonese	十八	[sɐp̚²¹ paːt̚³]
19 in Cantonese	十九	[sɐp̚²¹ kɐu̯²⁵]
20 in Cantonese	二十	[jiː²¹ sɐp̚²¹]
21 in Cantonese	二十一	[jiː²¹ sɐp̚²¹ jɐt̚⁵]
22 in Cantonese	二十二	[jiː²¹ sɐp̚²¹ jiː²¹]
23 in Cantonese	二十三	[jiː²¹ sɐp̚²¹ saːm⁵⁵]
24 in Cantonese	二十四	[jiː²¹ sɐp̚²¹ sei̯³³]
25 in Cantonese	二十五	[jiː²¹ sɐp̚²¹ ŋ̍⁵]

The colours in Cantonese

The most common colours in Cantonese with phonetic transcription for pronunciation.

English	Cantonese	IPA
Red in Cantonese	紅色	[hʊŋ²¹ sɪk̚⁵]
Orange in Cantonese	橙色	[tsʰaːŋ²⁵ sɪk̚⁵]
Yellow in Cantonese	黃色	[wɔːŋ²¹ sɪk̚⁵]
Green in Cantonese	綠色	[lʊk̚²¹ sɪk̚⁵]
Blue in Cantonese	藍色	[laːm²¹ sɪk̚⁵]
Purple in Cantonese	紫色	[tsiː²⁵ sɪk̚⁵]
Pink in Cantonese	粉紅色	[fɐn²⁵ hʊŋ²¹ sɪk̚⁵]
Brown in Cantonese	啡色	[fɛː⁵⁵ sɪk̚⁵]
Black in Cantonese	黑色	[hɐk̚³ sɪk̚⁵]
White in Cantonese	白色	[paːk̚²¹ sɪk̚⁵]

Days of the week, months and seasons in Cantonese

Of course, you will also need the days of the week in Cantonese and the pronunciation of the months and seasons in dialogues and daily communication in Cantonese.

English	Cantonese	IPA
Monday in Cantonese	星期一	[sɪŋ˥ kʰeːi̯˧ jɐt̚⁵]
Tuesday in Cantonese	星期二	[sɪŋ˥ kʰeːi̯˧ jiː²¹]
Wednesday in Cantonese	星期三	[sɪŋ˥ kʰeːi̯˧ saːm⁵⁵]
Thursday in Cantonese	星期四	[sɪŋ˥ kʰeːi̯˧ sei̯³³]
Friday in Cantonese	星期五	[sɪŋ˥ kʰeːi̯˧ ŋ̍⁵]
Saturday in Cantonese	星期六	[sɪŋ˥ kʰeːi̯˧ lʊk̚²¹]
Sunday in Cantonese	星期日	[sɪŋ˥ kʰeːi̯˧ jɐt̚⁶]
January in Cantonese	一月	[jɐt̚⁵ jyːt̚²¹]
February in Cantonese	二月	[jiː²¹ jyːt̚²¹]
March in Cantonese	三月	[saːm⁵⁵ jyːt̚²¹]
April in Cantonese	四月	[sei̯³³ jyːt̚²¹]
May in Cantonese	五月	[ŋ̍⁵ jyːt̚²¹]
June in Cantonese	六月	[lʊk̚²¹ jyːt̚²¹]
July in Cantonese	七月	[tsʰɐt̚⁵ jyːt̚²¹]
August in Cantonese	八月	[paːt̚³ jyːt̚²¹]
September in Cantonese	九月	[kɐu̯²⁵ jyːt̚²¹]
October in Cantonese	十月	[sɐp̚²¹ jyːt̚²¹]
November in Cantonese	十一月	[sɐp̚²¹ jɐt̚⁵ jyːt̚²¹]
December in Cantonese	十二月	[sɐp̚²¹ jiː²¹ jyːt̚²¹]
Spring in Cantonese	春天	[tsʰɵn⁵⁵ tʰin˥]
Summer in Cantonese	夏天	[haː²¹ tʰin˥]
Autumn in Cantonese	秋天	[tsʰɐu̯⁵⁵ tʰin˥]
Winter in Cantonese	冬天	[tʊŋ⁵⁵ tʰin˥]

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More information about the Cantonese Business Course.

Additional links

• The different ways of learning languages
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• Motivated language learning
• It is so easy to train your understanding of a language at the same time
• Learning languages quickly? – Is it possible?
• The different types of learners when learning languages

More information about the Cantonese Course for Children.