n®i¼ hÁu²

你 好
SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

2023-24 Semester 2 (Learning Materials – for tutors / tutees only)

***Please DO NOT share the learning materials to others / non-participants.
CONTENTS

LEVEL 1 SURVIVAL
Essential day to day phrases
Number CANTONESE
Date
Common Activities
Necessities
Transportation
Places
Eating in Hong Kong
❖ For students who have got the basics (e.g. can speak most words covered in Level 1 or able to
have a brief conversation in Cantonese), Level 2 may better suit their learning needs.

LEVEL 2
Useful expressions

INTRODUCTION
Cantonese Sound System
Self study

THINGS TO DO
Submit Quick Review & Programme Feedback
LEVEL 1
Essential day to day phrases
❖ Basic greetings ❖ Greetings around mealtimes ❖ For students who have got the basics (e.g. can
speak most words covered in Level 1 or able to
SURVIVAL
❖ Everyday greetings ❖ Daily-used phrases have a brief conversation in Cantonese), Level 2
❖ Saying goodbye ❖ Classroom expressions may better suit their learning needs. CANTONESE

Basic Greetings

n®i¼ hÁu² h¡a¹ lÁu²! w£i³

你 好 哈 佬! 喂!
you/ good/ [sound transcription from English] hey/
= Good day. Hello! (slightly formal) =Hello! (informal) =Hi! Hey! (between closer acquaintances)
= How do you do! Hello! (1st time meeting)

gªi² hÁu²，j¥u¼ s¡m¹. Quite good,

Q: n®i¼ hÁu² m£a³? A1:
How are you? 幾 好 ， 有 心。 thanks for asking.
你 好 嗎？
hÁu² hÁu².
A2: (I’m) fine.
好 好。
A3: m¤a½ m¢a² dªi².
Just so-so.
麻 麻 哋。
Personal pronoun Personal + d¯i¾ 哋
(singular) pronoun [Suffix] (plural) A4: ܽ h¦i¾ gªi² hÁu².
Not so good.
ngļ ngļ d¯i¾ 唔 係 幾 好。
I; me We
我 我 哋
ܽ hÁu².
A5: Not good.
n®i¼
You
n®i¼ d¯i¾
You - Plural
唔 好。
你 你 哋
k®oi¼ He; him / k®oi¼ d¯i¾
They
佢 She; her / It 佢 哋
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Everyday greetings Daily-used phrases
zÁu² s¤n½. fÆn¹ jºng½!
Morning Good morning. Welcome!
早 晨。 歡 迎！
zÁu² t¢u². Thank you (for a service).
Night Good night. Sleep well. ܽ gÀi¹. Excuse me, … (attracting attention, esp. when asking
早 抖。
唔 該。 somebody for assistance, etc.) SURVIVAL
Please… (to make a request more politely)
CANTONESE
dÀ¹ z¯¾.
Saying goodbye 多 謝。
Thank you. (for a gift, an invitation or a compliment,
etc.)

zÂi³ g·n³. Goodbye. ܽ s¢i² h£ak³ h«i³.

Don’t mention it. / You’re welcome.
Leaving See you! 唔 使 客 氣。
再 見。 Until next time, goodbye.
d«oi³ ܽ zÑu¾.
b¡ai¹ b¡ai¹. (i’m) sorry! (quite serious) / Excuse me!
Bye-bye. 對 唔 住。
拜 拜。
ܽ hÁu² j·³ sµ¹. Sorry! (not so serious)
tµng¹ j¦t¾ g·n³. It’s embarrassing.
See you tomorrow. 唔 好 意 思。 (also pronounced as “ܽ hÁu² j·³ s·³”)
聽 日 見。
See you in a moment. ܽ g¢n² j·u³. Never mind. / It’s all right. / Forget it. /
j¡t¹ z¦n¾ g·n³. Don’t worry.
See you in a while. 唔 緊 要。
一 陣 見。 See you later.
mÄu¼ m¦n¾ t¤i½.
Mind how you go! No problem. / No question.
m¦an¾ m¢an² h¤ang½. 冇 問 題。
Mind your step.
慢 慢 行。 Take care! j¥u¼ lÅk¾! I want to get off (from a vehicle).
有 落！ (as used in public light buses – minibuses)

Greeting around mealtimes nµ¹ dÅu¾ tºng½ (c©¹).

Stop (the car) here!
呢 度 停 (車)。
Afternoon Q: s¿k¾ zÁ² f¦an¾ m¯i¾ £a³ ? Have you eaten yet? ܽ gÀi¹ d¢ng² d¢ng². Please wait (a moment).
or 食 咗 飯 未 呀？ (How’s it going?) 唔 該 等 等。 (also “ܽ goi d¢ng² j¡t¹ z¦n¾”)
Evening
(around
mealtimes) A1: s¿k¾ zÁ² l£a³. ܽ gÀi¹ z«³ z«³. Excuse me. (I want to get through)
Yes, I’ve eaten. Please let me go through.
食 咗 喇。 唔 該 借 借。

A2: m¯i¾ £a³. ܽ gÀi¹ f£ai³ dµ¹.

No, not yet. Faster; please. / Be quick, please.
未 呀。 唔 該 快 啲。

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Daily-used phrases Classroom expressions
h¢i² dÅu¾ s¿k¾, ܽ gÀi¹. n®i¼ j¥u¼ mÄu¼ m¦n¾ t¤i½ £a³?
Eat in, please. Do you have any question?
喺 度 食，唔 該。 你 有 冇 問 題 呀？
nµng¹ z¢u² £a³, ܽ gÀi¹. ngļ j¥u¼ m¦n¾ t¤i½.
Take away, please. I have a question.
拎 走 呀，唔 該。 我 有 問 題。 SURVIVAL
cªng² d¢ng² j¡t¹ z¦n¾ l¡a¹! ngļ mÄu¼ m¦n¾ t¤i½.
請 等 一 陣 啦！
Please wait for a moment!
我 冇 問 題。
I have no questions CANTONESE
ܽ gÀi¹ f£ai³ dµ¹. Faster; please. / Be quick, n®i¼ mºng½ ܽ mºng½ £a³?
please. Do you understand?
唔 該 快 啲。 你 明 唔 明 呀？
s·³ h¥a¼. ngļ ܽ mºng½.
Have a try. I don’t understand.
試 吓。 我 唔 明。
hÁu² s¿k¾. ngļ mºng½.
Good to eat. / Tasty. I understand.
好 食。 我 明。
hÁu² hÁu² s¿k¾. d¡k¹ ܽ d¡k¹ £a³?
Delicious. / Very tasty. Is that okay?
好 好 食。 得 唔 得 呀?
m¤ai½ d¡an¹! d¡k¹, mÄu¼ m¦n¾ t¤i½.
The bill! / The check! Okay, no problem.
埋 單！ 得， 冇 問 題。
gªi² (dÀ¹) c¶n² £a³? m¯i¾ d¡k¹ £a³!
How much is it? Not yet (okay).
幾 (多) 錢 呀？ 未 得 呀！
h¦a¾ c·³ zÂi³ g·n³. ܽ gÀi¹ zÂi³ gÁng² j¡t¹ c·³ ¡a¹ .唔
See you next time. Please say it once more.
下 次 再 見。 該 再 講 一 次 吖。
m¥i¼ jÆk¹! ܽ gÀi¹ gÁng² d¦ai¾ s©ng¹ dµ¹唔
Freeze (Don’t move)! Please speak louder.
咪 郁！ 該 講 大 聲 啲。
g£u³ m¯ng¾ £a³! ܽ gÀi¹ gÁng² m¦an¾ dµ¹
Help! Please speak slower
救 命 呀！ 唔 該 講 慢 啲。
ܽ gÀi¹ d¢a² g¢u² g¢u² g¢u²! Please dial 999! (for the police in
Hong Kong)
j¡t¹ c¤i½ gÁng².
Say it together.
唔 該 打 九 九 九！ Please call the police. 一 齊 講。
ngļ ܽ zµ¹. ngļ j·u³ z¢u² l£a³, b¡ai¹ b£ai³.
I don’t know I have to go. Bye-bye.
我 唔 知。 我 要 走 喇， 拜 拜。
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
 LEVEL 1 ❖
❖
Single digit number (0-9)
Building up numbers from 10 to 19
Number ❖ Numerals indicating hundreds ‘b£ak³ 百’
❖ Chinese counting system
SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

Single digit number (0-9)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

lºng½ j¡t¹ j¿¾ s¡am¹ s«i³ nÖ¼ lËk¾ c¡t¹ b£at³ g¢u²

零 一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九

Building up numbers from 10 to 19 Numerals indicating hundreds ‘b£ak³ 百’ Chinese counting system

s¦p¾ 十 10 Ten b£ak³ 百 100 hundred g³ 個 ones

s¦p¾ j¡t¹ 十一 10 + 1 Eleven j¡t¹ b£ak³ 一百 1 x 100 one hundred s¦p¾ 十 tens
s¦p¾ j¿¾ 十二 10 + 2 Twelve j¿¾ b£ak³ 二百 2 x 100 two hundred
b£ak³ 百 hundreds
s¦p¾ s¡am¹ 十三 10 + 3 Thirteen s¡am¹ b£ak³ 三百 3 x 100 three hundred
cµn¹ 千 thousands
s¦p¾ s«i³ 十四 10 + 4 Fourteen s«i³ b£ak³ 四百 4 x 100 four hundred
m¦an¾ 萬 10 thousands
s¦p¾ nÖ¼ 十五 10 + 5 Fifteen nÖ¼ b£ak³ 五百 5 x 100 five hundred
s¦p¾ (m¦an¾) 十 (萬) 100 thousands
s¦p¾ lËk¾ 十六 10 + 6 Sixteen lËk¾ b£ak³ 六百 6 x 100 six hundred
s¦p¾ c¡t¹ 十七 10 + 7 Seventeen b£ak³ (m¦an¾) 百 (萬) millions
c¡t¹ b£ak³ 七百 7 x 100 seven hundred
s¦p¾ b£at³ 十八 10 + 8 Eighteen b£at³ b£ak³ 八百 8 x 100 eight hundred cµn¹ (m¦an¾) 千 (萬) 10 millions

s¦p¾ g¢u² 十九 10 + 9 Nineteen g¢u² b£ak³ 九百 9 x 100 nine hundred jµk¹ 億 100 millions

Source
SourceofofLearning
LearningMaterials:
Materials:“Cantonese
“Cantonesefor
forEveryone 大家嘅廣東話”bybyChow
Everyone大家嘅廣東話” ChowBun
BunChing,
Ching,The
TheCommercial
CommercialPress
Press
 LEVEL 1 ❖
❖
Year
Month
Date ❖ Days of month
❖ Days of the week
❖ Word order of date indicators SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

Year To state a certain year, read off the year number digit by digit and put “nºn½ 年 (year)” at the end.

j¡t¹ g¢u² s«i³ j¡t¹ nºn½ 一九四一年 the year 1941

? ? ? ? + nºn½ 年
j¿¾ lºng½ j¿¾ j¿¾ nºn½ 二零二二年 the year 2022

Month Naming months is easy in Cantonese: the twelve months are referred to by their ordinal numbers, followed by the word “jÑut¾ 月 (month)”

j¡t¹ jÑut¾ 一月 January c¡t¹ jÑut¾ 七月 July

1 – 12 + jÑut¾ 月 j¿¾ jÑut¾ 二月 February b£at³ jÑut¾ 八月 August
s¡am¹ jÑut¾ 三月 March g¢u² jÑut¾ 九月 September
s«i³ jÑut¾ 四月 April s¦p¾ jÑut¾ 十月 October
nÖ¼ jÑut¾ 五月 May s¦p¾ j¡t¹ jÑut¾ 十一月 November
lËk¾ jÑut¾ 六月 June s¦p¾ j¿¾ jÑut¾ 十二月 December

Days of the month When referring to a day in a month, either “hÅu¾ 號 (number)” or “j¦t¾ 日 (day)” is used as an indicator, and placed after
the appropriate number (date: 1-31). “hÅu¾ 號 ” is more often used the spoken language than “j¦t¾ 日”

j¡t¹ hÅu¾ 一號 1st day of the month

1 – 31 + hÅu¾ 號 / j¦t¾ 日
j¿¾ s¦p¾ g¢u² hÅu¾ 二十九號 29th day of the month

s¡am¹ s¦p¾ j¡t¹ hÅu¾ 三十一號 31st day of the month

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Days of the week The days of week from Monday to Saturday are expressed by “sµng¹ k¬i½ 星期 (week)” or “l¥i¼ b£ai³
禮拜 (week; religious service)” followed by the numbers one to six. Sunday is suffixed with the word
“j¦t¾ 日 (day; sun)”. Be careful of the similar pronunciations of Sunday and Monday in Cantonese
which are distinguished by only a tone difference.

sµng¹ k¬i½ 星期 / l¥i¼ b£ai³ 禮拜 + 1 ~ 6 SURVIVAL

CANTONESE
sµng¹ k¬i½ j¡t¹ 星期一 l¥i¼ b£ai³ j¡t¹ 禮拜一 Monday

sµng¹ k¬i½ j¿¾ 星期二 l¥i¼ b£ai³ j¿¾ 禮拜二 Tuesday

sµng¹ k¬i½ s¡am¹ 星期三 l¥i¼ b£ai³ s¡am¹ 禮拜三 Wednesday

sµng¹ k¬i½ s«i³ 星期四 l¥i¼ b£ai³ s«i³ 禮拜四 Thursday

sµng¹ k¬i½ nÖ¼ 星期五 l¥i¼ b£ai³ nÖ¼ 禮拜五 Friday

sµng¹ k¬i½ lËk¾ 星期六 l¥i¼ b£ai³ lËk¾ 禮拜六 Saturday

sµng¹ k¬i½ j¦t¾ 星期日 l¥i¼ b£ai³ j¦t¾ 禮拜日 Sunday

Word order of date indicators

nºn½ 年 - jÑut¾ 月 - hÅu¾ 號 / j¦t¾ 日 - sµng¹ k¬i½ 星期 / l¥i¼ b£ai³ 禮拜

year month date day of week

For example: Friday, 31 October 2008

j¿¾ lºng½ lºng½ b£at³ nºn½ s¦p¾ jÑut¾ s¡am¹ s¦p¾ j¡t¹ hÅu¾ sµng¹ k¬i½ nÖ¼
二 O O 八 年 十 月 三 十 一 號 星 期 五

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
LEVEL 1
Common Activities
SURVIVAL
How do you spend your leisure time? CANTONESE
kµng¹ g¢i² d¢a² g©i¹
to chat to play online games
傾 計 打 機
kµng¹ d¿n¾ w¢a² t«k³ bÀ¹
to chat on phone to play soccer
傾 電 話 踢 波
t·u³ mÄu¼ t¢i² sÌu¹
to dance to read books
跳 舞 睇 書
(zÅu¾) w¦n¾ dËng¾ p¢au² bÅu¾
to do physical exercises to run; to jog
(做) 運 動 跑 步
m¥ai¼ j®¼ f£n³ g£au³
to do shopping; buy something to sleep
買 嘢 瞓 覺
s¿k¾ j®¼ s£an³ bÅu¾
to eat something to stroll; leisurely walk
食 嘢 散 步
cÆng¹ l¬ong½ s®ong¼ mÄng¼
to take a bath or shower to surf the Internet
沖 涼 上 網
h¤ang½ g¡ai¹ j¤u½ sªoi²
to go shopping; walk around to swim
行 街 游 水
j¢m² c¤a½ j¶ng² sªong²
to go to restaurant for dim-sum to take photographs
飲 茶 影 相
t©ng¹ j¡m¹ ngÅk¾ t£am³ p¤ng½ j¥u¼
to listen to music to visit a friend
聽 音 樂 探 朋 友
d¢a² bÀ¹ t¢i² h«i³
to play ball games to watch a film / movie
打 波 睇 戲
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
LEVEL 1
Necessities
SURVIVAL
CANTONESE
Personal belongings
hÅk¾ s¡ang¹ z·ng³
Student Card
學 生 證
s¢u² t¤i½ d¿n¾ nÄu¼
Laptop
手 提 電 腦
j»¼ tÇng²
Earphone
耳 筒
ng¤n½ b¡au¹
Wallet
銀 包
s¢u² bµu¹
Watch
手 錶
ng¥an¼ gªng²
Glasses
眼 鏡
sÁ² sº½
Key
鎖 匙
bÈi³ nÃng½
Backpack
背 囊
z©¹
Umbrella
遮
z¶² g¡n¹
Tissue
紙 巾
h¢u² z£au³
Mask
口 罩
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
LEVEL 1
Transportation
❖ Transportation SURVIVAL
❖ MTR system map CANTONESE
d¡an¹ c©¹
bicycle
單 車
A Stop or Terminus
d¿n¾ d¡an¹ c©¹
motorcycle
電 單 車
f©i¹ gei g©i¹ cÃeng½
airplane airport
飛 機 機 場

b¡a¹ s¶² b¡a¹ s¶² z¦am¾

bus bus stop
巴 士 巴 士 站

s¶u² b¡a¹ s¶u² b¡a¹ z¦am¾

public light bus; minibus minibus station
小 巴 小 巴 站

d¯i¾ t·t³ d¯i¾ t·t³ z¦am¾

underground railway; MTR MTR station
地 鐵 地 鐵 站

s¡an¹ dªng² l¦am¾ c©¹ l¦am¾ c©¹ z¦am¾

peak tram peak tram station
山 頂 纜 車 纜 車 站

sÏun½ / s¶u² l¬on½ m¥a¼ t¤u½

ferry pier
船 / 小 輪 碼 頭

fÁ² c©¹ fÁ² c©¹ z¦am¾

train railway station
火 車 火 車 站

dµk¹ s¶² dµk¹ s¶² z¦am¾

taxi taxi stand
的 士 的 士 站

d¿n¾ c©¹ d¿n¾ c©¹ z¦am¾

tram tram stand
電 車 電 車 站
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
MTR system map

SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

1 Airport Express g©o¹ c¬ong½ f£ai³ s·n³ 機場快綫 7 Tseung Kwan O Line zÀeng¹ gw¡n¹ Âu³ s·n³ 將軍澳綫
2 Disneyland Resort Line d¿k¾ s¿¾ n¬i½ s·n³ 廸士尼綫 8 Tsuen Wan Line cÏun½ w¡an¹ s·n³ 荃灣綫
3 East Rail Line dÆng¹ t·t³ s·n³ 東鐵綫 9 Tuen Ma Line tÏun½ m¥a¼ s·n³ 屯馬綫
4 Island Line gÁng² dÁu² s·n³ 港島綫 10 Tung Chung Line dÆng¹ cÆng¹ s·n³ 東涌綫
5 Kwun Tong Line gÆn¹ tÃng½ s·n³ 觀塘綫 11 Light Rail hµng¹ t·t³ 輕鐵
6 South Island Line (East) n¤am½ gÁng² dÁu² s·n³ 南港島綫
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
LEVEL 1
Places
❖ Hong Kong’s Major Urban Districts SURVIVAL
❖ Attractions in Hong Kong
❖ HKU neighborhood CANTONESE
f£ai³ c¡an¹ d·m³ g¶ng² gÇk²
fast food shop police station
快 餐 店 警 局
b¿n¾ l¯i¾ d·m³ sµu¹ fÃng½ gÇk²
convenience store fire station
便 利 店 消 防 局
z¢u² d·m³ jÅek¾ fÃng½
hotel pharmacy
酒 店 藥 房
sÌu¹ d·m³ / sÌu¹ gÇk² c¢n² sÁ²
bookshop clinic
書 店 / 書 局 診 所
jµ¹ jÍun² bÇn² bÅu¾ h¦au¾ jÏun½
hospital Main Campus
醫 院 本 部 校 園
h«i³ jÍun² tÃu½ sÌu¹ gÇn²
cinema library
戲 院 圖 書 館
gung jÍun² z·³ w¤a½ gÇn²
park The Chi Wah Learning Commons
公 園 智 華 館
g¡ai¹ s»¼ lËk¾ j¦u¾ tÃng½
market Loke Yew Hall
街 市 陸 佑 堂
cµu¹ k¡p¹ s»¼ c¬ong½ zÆng¹ s¡an¹ gwÁng² cÃeng½
supermarket
超 級 市 場 Sun Yat-sen Place
中 山 廣 場
b£ak³ f³ gÆng¹ sµ¹ hÀi¹ s¡m¹ gÆng¹ jÍun² = Happy Park
department store 開 心 公 園
百 貨 公 司
j¤u½ gÇk² hý f¡a¹ cº½
post office Lily Pond
郵 局 荷 花 池
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Hong Kong’s Major Urban Districts Attractions in Hong Kong

sÅeng¾ w¤an½ t£ai³ pºng½ s¡an¹ dªng²

Sheung Wan The Peak
上 環 太 平 山 頂
zÆng¹ w¤an½ l¤an½ gw£i³ fÀng¹
Central Lan Kwai Fong
中 環 蘭 桂 芳 SURVIVAL
g¡m¹ zÆng¹
Admiralty
s¡i¹ g¢u² m¤n½ f£a³ k©oi¹
West Kowloon Cultural District CANTONESE
金 鐘 西 九 文 化 區
w¡an¹ z¢i² s¡i¹ gÈng³
Wan Chai Sai Kung
灣 仔 西 貢
tÉng½ lý w¡an¹ c«k³ cÐu¼
Causeway Bay Stanley
銅 鑼 灣 赤 柱
zµm¹ s¡a¹ zªoi² c¶n² sªoi² w¡an¹
Tsim Sha Tsui Repulse Bay
尖 沙 咀 淺 水 灣
j¤u½ m¤a½ dªi² n¤am½ ¡a¹ dÁu²
Yau Ma Tei Lamma Island
油 麻 地 南 丫 島
wÅng¾ gÂk³ cÃeng½ z¡u¹
Mong Kok Cheung Chau
旺 角 長 洲
gÏun½ w¡an¹ d¦ai¾ jÏu½ s¡an¹
Tsuen Wan Lantau Island
荃 灣 大 嶼 山
wÃng½ d¦ai¾ sµn¹ d¦ai¾ Âu³
Wong Tai Sin Tai O
黃 大 仙 大 澳
s¡m¹ sªoi² bÁu² d¿k¾ s¿¾ n¬i½ lÅk¾ jÍun²
Shum Shui Po Hong Kong Disneyland
深 水 埗 迪 士 尼 樂 園
fÆn¹ tÃng½ hÁi² jÃeng½ gÆng¹ jÍun²
Kwun Tong Ocean Park
觀 塘 海 洋 公 園
zÀeng¹ gw¡n¹ Âu³ tµn¹ t¤an½ d¦ai¾ f¦t¾
Tseung Kwan O The Big Buddha
將 軍 澳 天 壇 大 佛
s¡a¹ tºn½ wÃng½ d¦ai¾ sµn¹ cº½
Sha Tin Wong Tai Sin Temple
沙 田 黃 大 仙 祠
HKU neighborhood

SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

1 Bonham Road bÆn¹ h¤am½ dÅu¾ 般咸道 7 Des Voeux Road West d¡k¹ f˾ dÅu¾ s¡i¹ 德輔道西
2 High Street gÀu¹ g¡ai¹ 高街 8 Pokfulam Road bÂk³ fɽ l¤m½ dÅu¾ 薄扶林道
3 Third Street d¦i¾ s¡am¹ g¡ai¹ 第三街 9 Western Street s¡i¹ bµn¹ g¡ai¹ 西邊街
4 Second Street d¦i¾ j¿¾ g¡ai¹ 第二街 10 Hing Hon Road hµng¹ hÂn³ dÅu¾ 興漢道
5 First Street d¦i¾ j¡t¹ g¡ai¹ 第一街 11 Water Street sªoi² g¡ai¹ 水街
6 Queen’s Road West wÃng½ h¦u¾ d¦ai¾ dÅu¾ s¡i¹ 皇后大道西
LEVEL 1
Eating in Hong Kong
❖ Hong Kong style café menu SURVIVAL
❖ Chinese restaurant dim-sum menu CANTONESE
z¢u² l¤u½ g¡ai¹ t¤u½ s¶u² s¿k¾
Chinese Restaurants Street snacks
酒 樓 街 頭 小 食
c¤a½ c¡an¹ t©ng¹ g£a³ l©i¹ jÏu½ d¢an²
Hong Kong style café Curry fishball
茶 餐 廳 咖 哩 魚 蛋
bµng¹ s¡t¹ Traditional Hong Kong jÏu½ jËk¾ sµu¹ m¢ai²
Steamed fish shumai dumplings
冰 室 style café 魚 肉 燒 賣
d¦ai¾ p¤ai½ dÂng³ wÇn² z¢i² c·³
Open-air food stall Imitation shark’s fin soup
大 牌 檔 碗 仔 翅
fÁ² wÀ¹ d·m³ c£u³ d¦u¾ f˾ Stinky Tofu [Deep-fried fermented
Hot Pot restaurant
火 鍋 店 臭 豆 腐 bean curd]

m®i¼ s¿k¾ gwÁng² cÃeng½ zÌu¹ cÁeng² f¢n² Rice noodle rolls with sweet sauce,
Food Court peanut sauce and spicy sauce
美 食 廣 場 豬 腸 粉
zÆk¹ The Three Treasures [Deep-fried
Congee zµn¹ jÅeng¾ s¡am¹ bÁu²
eggplant, bell pepper and bean curd
粥 煎 釀 三 寶 stuffed with minced fish]
c©¹ z¢i² m¿n¾ g¡i¹ d¦an¾ z¢i²
Cart noodle Egg puff / Bubble waffle
車 仔 麵 雞 蛋 仔
sµu¹ l¦ap¾ / sµu¹ m¯i¾ g£ak³ z¢i² bªng² Hong Kong-style waffle [with peanut
Roasted Meat
燒 臘 / 燒 味 格 仔 餅 butter, condensed milk and sugar]

tÃng½ sªoi² / tºm½ b¢n² z¡n¹ zÌu¹ n¥ai¼ c¤a½

Desserts Pearl milk tea / Bubble tea
糖 水 / 甜 品 珍 珠 奶 茶
lÃeng½ c¤a½ d¦u¾ f˾ f¡a¹
Chinese herbal tea Soybean pudding
涼 茶 豆 腐 花
LEVEL 2
Useful expressions
❖ Self-introduction SURVIVAL
❖ Short conversations
CANTONESE
Introduce yourself at a welcome party Vocabulary
d¦ai¾ gg¡¹ hÁu²， ngļ g·u³ (your name)。ngļ h¦i¾ (your country)。
大 家 好 ， 我 叫 (your name)。 我 係 (your country) 人。 Jyutping Cantonese English
[Hello, I am (your name). I am (your nationality/ethnicity).] d¦ai¾ g¡a¹ 大家 all, everybody
j¤n½ 人 people; person
ngļ jº½ g¡a¹ h¦i¾ hÀeng¹ gÁng² d¦ai¾ hÅk¾ g«³ hÅk¾ s¡ang¹。
this year
我 而 家 係 香 港 大 學 嘅 學 生。 g¡m¹ nºn½ 今年 (also pronounced as “g¡m¹ n¶n² ”)
[I am a student of the University of Hong Kong now.]
s«oi³ 歲 years old; age
ngļ h¢i² d¦ai¾ hÅk¾ dËk¾ (your major)。 [a general measure word for round
我 喺 大 學 讀 (your major)。 objects or abstract things, such as
g³ 個 (e.g.) questions or ideas; a measure word for
[My major at university is (your major) ]. people]

ngļ zÑu¾ h¢i² (your address) zÅu¾ j®¼ 做嘢 to work

我 住 喺 (your address)。 dËk¾ sÌu¹ 讀書 to study in school; to read (a book)
[I live in (your address).]
g¡ai¹ wËn¾ 交換 to exchange
ngļ g«³ h·ng³ c«oi³ h¦i¾ (your hobby) tÉng½ (your hobby) to study (+ major/subject); go to
dËk¾ 讀 (+ Object)
我 嘅 興 趣 係 (your hobby) 同 (your hobby)。 school
[My hobbies are (your hobby) and (your hobby).] h·ng³ c«oi³ 興趣 a hobby; an interest

Thank you, many thanks (express

dÀ¹ z¯¾ dÀ¹ z¯¾ 多謝 one’s gratitude)
多 謝。
[Thank you.] Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Majors in University Hobbies
ngļ dËk¾ zÍu² s¡u¹ ngļ g«³ h·ng³ c«oi³ h¦i¾ tÉng½ SURVIVAL
我 讀 / 主 修 _____________ 我 嘅 興 趣 係 ___ 同 ____
[My major at university is ____ ] [My hobbies are ____ and ___] CANTONESE

jµng¹ m¤n½ 英文 English t·u³ mÄu¼ 跳舞 Dancing

ng¦i¾ s¯ot¾ 藝術 Fine arts h¤ang½ s¡an¹ 行山 Hiking

l¿k¾ s¶² 歷史 History h¤ang½ g¡ai¹ 行街 Shopping; walking around

f¡an¹ jµk¹ 翻譯 Translation l®oi¼ h¤ng½ 旅行 Traveling

wËi¾ g£i³ hÅk¾ 會計學 Accountancy t©ng¹ j¡m¹ ngÅk¾ 聽音樂 Listening to music

s»¼ c¬ong½ hÅk¾ 市場學 Marketing t¢i² sÌu¹ 睇書 Reading

d¿n¾ z¶² gÆng¹ cºng½ 電子工程 Electronic engineering c«ong³ k¡a¹ l¡ai¹ Àu¹ k©i¹ 唱卡拉OK Karaoke

jµ¹ hÅk¾ 醫學 Medicine j¶ng² sÁeng² 影相 Taking photographs

s¡ng¹ m¦t¾ 生物 Biology t¢i² h«i³ 睇戲 Watching movies

f£a³ hÅk¾ 化學 Chemistry zÆk¹ kªi² 捉棋 Playing chess

g·n³ zÆk¹ hÅk¾ 建築學 Architecture z¦ap¾ j¤u½ 集郵 Stamp collecting

s¡m¹ l®¼ hÅk¾ 心理學 Psychology d¢a² m¤a½ zÂek³ 打麻雀 Playing mahjong

gµn¹ z£i³ 經濟 Economics sÄeng¼ mÄng¼ 上網 Surging on the Internet

fÆng¹ s©ong¹ gÇn² l®i¼ 工商管理 Business Management d¢a² g©i¹ 打機 Playing online games
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation Learning Objectives
Taking public transportation 1. To ask what kind of transportation one should take
2. To ask and tell the method of moving from one place to another
3. to ask “Do you know…?” SURVIVAL
4. To tell the route or terminus of transportation CANTONESE
5. To inform the driver where to get off a car

ngļ sÁeng² h«oi³ zÆng¹ w¤an½,

我 想 去 中 環，
(I want to go to Central,

d£ap³ gªi² dÀ¹ hÅu¾ s¶u² b¡a¹ £a³? d£ap³ b£at³ hÅu¾ w¦ak¾ zª² j¿¾ s¦p¾ b£at³ hÅu¾ l¡a¹.
搭 幾 多 號 小 巴 呀? 搭 八 號 或 者 二 十 八 號 啦。
What no. of minibus I should take?) (No. 8 or No. 28.)

ܽ gÀi¹ sµ¹ g©i¹, z·³ d¯i¾ gwÁng² cÃeng½, j¥u¼ lÅk¾.

唔 該 司 機，置 地 廣 場 ，有 落。
(I want to get off at the Landmark, please.)

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation
Taking public transportation

SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation
Taking public transportation

SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation
Taking public transportation Vocabulary

mÊi¼ j¦t¾
Pn: every day
每 日
d£ap³
V:
to ride (a mode of transportation); (also “cļ SURVIVAL
搭 (+Transportation) 坐”)
c©¹
CANTONESE
N: car [general term used for any wheeled vehicle]
車
d£ap³ c©¹ zÆng¹ w¤an½
VO: to ride a car; by car (also “cļ c©¹ 坐車”) N: Central [major district in HK Island]
搭 車 中 環
lÅk¾ c©¹ tÉng½ lý w¡an¹ Causeway Bay [major district in HK
VO: to get off a vehicle; alight PN:
落 車 銅 鑼 灣 Island] (also “tÉng½ lý w¤an½”
m¡t¹ j®¼ c©¹ what mode of transportation; what kind
QW: wËi¾ fÆng¹ ng¤n½ hÃng½ HSBC [the Hongkong and Shanghai
乜 嘢 車 of vehicle PN:
匯 豐 銀 行 Banking Corporation]
Æk¹ kªi²
N: home zÇng² hÁng²
屋 企 N: headquarters
sÁ² j»¼ 總 行
Conj:
so; therefore [used to introduce a
所 以 (+ Clause) consequence clause] gwÁng² cÃeng½
N: square; plaza
廣 場
h¤ang½ lÅu¾
VO: to walk; on foot Landmark [an office and shopping mall
行 路 z·³ d¯i¾ gwÁng² cÃeng½
PN: with many prestigious international
f¡an¹ hÅk¾ 置 地 廣 場 brands in Central, HK]
VO: to go to school
返 學 w¦a¾
V: to say
n®i¼ zµ¹ ܽ zµ¹ Do you know…? 話 (+ Object)
Ph:
你 知 唔 知…? (also “n®i¼ zµ¹ ܽ zµ¹ dÂu³…? 你知唔知道…?”)
j¥u¼ lÅk¾ stop to get off (the vehicle); I
SE:
s¶u² b¡a¹ 有 落 want to get off
N: minibus; public light bus
小 巴
z¦u¾ then [used in the consequence clause of
zÇng² z¦am¾ Conj:
N: terminus; terminal station 就 (+ Clause) conditional sentences]
總 站
d¦ai¾ wËi¾ tÃng½ l£ak³ [the emphasis form of “ “, used to
Part:
PN: City Hall 嘞 indicate finality of exclamation]
大 會 堂
gµng¹ z¦u¾ d¡k¹ l£ak³
V: to pass by; to pass through; via SE: then that’s be fine
經 (+ Object) 就 得 嘞
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
 Learning Objectives
Short conversation 1. To give an explanation of something using “zµk¹ h¦i¾ 即係”

Ordering food To state what one wants when ordering food or buying things using the verb
2.
“j·u³ 要”
3. To use an adjective to modify a noun
To express the total amount using “j¡t¹ gËng¾ 一共”
SURVIVAL
4.
CANTONESE
5. To give choices to the addressee using “d¿ng¾ h¦i¾ 定係” in a question.

6. To know topicalization in Cantonese

7. To make a polite request with “cªng² 請”

ngļ j·u³ j¡t¹ g³ fÁ² tªoi² d¢an² s¡am¹ m¤n½ z¿¾,
我 要 一 個 火 腿 蛋 三 文 治，
(I’d like a ham and egg sandwich,
h¢i² dÅu¾ s¿k¾ d¿ng¾ h¦i¾ lµng¹ z¢u² £a³?
k®oi¼ j·u³ j¡t¹ g³ d¦an¾ t¡at¹ tÉng½ j¡t¹ g³ bÀ¹ lý b¡au¹. 喺 度 食 定 係 拎 走 呀? h¢i² dÅu¾ s¿k¾, ܽ gÀi¹.
佢 要 一 個 蛋 撻 同 一 個 菠 蘿 包。 (Eat in or take away?) 喺度食，唔該。
and she’d like an egg custard tart and a pineapple bun.) (Eat in, please.)

dÀ¹ z¯¾. j¡t¹ gËng¾ s«i³ s¦p¾ m¡n¹.

多謝。一共四十蚊。
(Thank you. Altogether that’s $40.)

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation
Ordering food

SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation
Ordering food

SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation
Ordering food Vocabulary

SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

j¢m² j¡t¹ gËng¾ total, altogether (also “h¦m¾ b¦ang¾

V: to drink Adv:
飲 (+ Object) 一 共 (+ Quantity) l¦ang¾” 冚𠾴唥)
g£a³ f©¹ h¢i² dÅu¾ s¿k¾
N: coffee Ph: eat here
咖 啡 喺 度 食
n¥ai¼ c¤a½
N: milk tea d¿ng¾ h¦i¾ or [only used in a question indicating options]
奶 茶 Conj:
定 係 (also shortened as “d¿ng¾”定)
jµn¹ j©ong¹ yuanyang [a mixture of HK style milk tea
N:
鴛 鴦 and coffee] nµng¹ z¢u²
V: take away; “to go” (also “nµk¹ z¢u²” 攊走)
zµk¹ h¦i¾ 拎 走
V: be; mean; namely; it means…; this is…
即 係 j¿t¾
Adj: hot (in temperature)
g¡a¹ 熱
V: to add
加 dÈng³
s¡n¹ j®¼ Adj: cold; Iced
Ph: new stuff; new things 凍
新 嘢
cªng² please (+ verb) [used to show politeness in
bÆi¹ glass, cup, mug; a cup of [a measure of V: requests or commands to mean ‘be obliging
N/M: 請
杯 the quantity of something that a cup will hold] enough (to)’]

fÁ² tªoi² d¢ng²

N: ham V: to wait
火 腿 等
d¢an² j¡t¹ z¦n¾
N: egg (also “g¡i¹ d¢an²” 雞蛋) N: a little while
蛋 一 陣
s¡am¹ m¤n½ z¿¾
N: sandwich(es)
三 文 治
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation
Having a dim-sum lunch

Learning Objectives SURVIVAL

CANTONESE
1. To indicate that something has not yet been done by “m¯i¾ 未”

2. To indicate that something has been completed by “zÁ² 咗”

s¿k¾ zÁ² f¦an¾ m¯i¾ £a³?
m¯i¾ £a³. n®i¼ n©¹?
食 咗 飯 未 呀?
未 呀。你 呢?
3. To ask whether something has occurred or not (Have you eaten yet?)
(Not yet. How about you?)
j¡t¹ c¤i½ h«oi³ j¢m² c¤a½ ¡a¹!
hÁu² £a³.
一齊去飲茶吖！
4. To suggest doing something together using “¡a¹ 吖” at the end 好 呀。
(Let’s go to have dim-sum together!
(Good.)

5. To treat or invite someone to something with “cªng² 請”

To ask someone’s agreement to your suggestion with “hÁu² ܽ

6.
hÁu² £a³ 好唔好呀” ?

To express the sense of “in addition to…” using “zËng¾ ... tµm¹
7.
仲…添”

8. To give an alternative in a statement with “w¦ak¾ zª² 或者”

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation
Having a dim-sum lunch

SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation
Having a dim-sum lunch

SURVIVAL
ܽ gÀi¹, j¡t¹ wɽ pÁu² nªi², j¡t¹ wɽ gw¢n² sªoi² CANTONESE
唔 該，一 壺 普 洱，一 壺 滾 水
(Excuse me, a pot of Pu’er tea and a pot of boiling water, please.)

ܽ gÀi¹, m¤ai½ d¡an¹ l¡a¹!

唔 該， 埋 單 啦!
(Get the bill, please!)

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation
Having a dim-sum lunch

SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
Short conversation Vocabulary
Having a dim-sum lunch

SURVIVAL
CANTONESE

w£i³
Intj: hello; hey [to draw sb’s attention informally]
喂
f¦an¾ N: cooked rice
飯
zÁ²
[a perfective aspect particle used after a verb, indicating completion of an action whether in the past,
咗 (Verb + zÁ² + Object) Part:
present or future]
(e.g. s¶k² zÁ² f¦an¾ 食咗飯)
m¯i¾
未 (Verb + m¯i¾ + Object) Adv: not yet [It implies that an action is expected to take place but has not yet taken place]
(e.g. m¯i¾ s¿k¾ f¦an¾ 未食飯)
j¢m² c¤a½
VO: yum-cha (to drink tea); to have dim-sum (also “s¿k¾ d¶m² s¡m¹食點心”)
飲 茶
¡a¹
Part: [a modal particle used at the end of a sentence, indicating suggestions in a causal mood]
吖
cªng² invite, treat, serve or entertain someone to sth. (bear the expenses of the entertainment);
請 V:
paying for the expenses; playing host
(Person 1 + cªng² + Person 2 + Verb)
sµn¹
先 Adv: first; in advance
(Verb +sµn¹)
dÀ¹ z¯¾ sµn¹
SE: Thank you in advance.
多 謝 先
h¤ang½ l£a³
SE: Let’s go.
行 喇
wɽ
N/M: teapot; a pot of
壺
Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
INTRODUCTION
Cantonese Sound System SURVIVAL
Three important elements in the Cantonese Syllable: CANTONESE

The basic characteristic of Cantonese pronunciation is that for each Chinese character there is a single syllable associated with it.
The syllable in Cantonese language consists of three basic elements: Initials, finals and tones.
1. Initial (19) : The sound of consonant at the beginning of a syllable.
2. Finals (51): The sound of the vowel sound plus final consonant, if any, at the end of a syllable.
3. Tone (6): The relative pitch, or variation of pitch, of a syllable.
Note: m & ng are two nasal consonants that can stand-alone without a vowel. They are call Syllabic Nasals.

Let’s take “good morning 早晨” as an example for Cantonese syllable:

tone mark and tone mark and

number for high number for high
rising pitch rising pitch

z Áu²
(initial) (Final) (Tone)
早
(early)
s ¤n½ 晨
(initial) (Final) (Tone) (morning)

There is a complete online course on Cantonese pronunciation, CantoSounds (粵音快靚正), designed by the Chinese Language
Centre of the university of Hong Kong for Cantonese learners. In this online course, you can learn about Cantonese Romanization
and individual Cantonese sounds, with plenty of recordings, videos, exercises and games.
Please feel free to visit it at http://cantonese.hku.hk/cantosounds/

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
1. Initials: SURVIVAL
There are 19 distinctive initials and they can be divided into five groups as seen in the summary table below: CANTONESE
Note: The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is shown in brackets [ ] for sounding reference.

1. Non-aspirated Voiceless 2. Aspirated Voiceless 3. Voiced Nasal 4. Fricative & Continuant 5. Semi-vowel

b [p] (bo) p [ph] (po) m [m] (mo) f [f] (fo)

d [t] (daa) t [th] (taa) n [n] (naa) l [l] (laa)
g [k] (gaa) k [kh] (kaa) ng [ŋ] (ngaa) h [h] (haa)

gw [kw] (gwo) kw [kwh] (kwo) w [w] (wo)

z [ts] (ze) C [tsh] (ce) s [s] (si) j [j] (ji)

Meaning Meaning Meaning Meaning Meaning

Cantonese Cantonese Cantonese Cantonese Cantonese
in in in in in
example example example example example
Cantonese Cantonese Cantonese Cantonese Cantonese

b b¯ng¾ 病 sick p p¬ng½ 平 cheap m mËn¾ 悶 boring f f£ai³ 快 fast

d d¦ai¾ 大 big t tÈng³ 痛 painful n n¤an½ 難 difficult l l«ng³ 靚 beautiful

near,
g gËi¾ 攰 tired k k¥n¼ 近 close ng ngļ 我 I; me h hÁu² 好 good

expensiv deficient
gw g w£ i³ 貴 e kw kw¡i¹ 虧 (easy to w w¦ai¾ 壞 bad
get sick)

z zÁu² 早 early c cº½ 遲 early s s£i³ 細 small j j¿¾ 易 easy

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
2. Finals:
This is the term commonly used to describe the remaining part of the Cantonese syllable after the initial. A “final” consists of a
central vowel combined with an optional semi-vowel or consonant at the end of the syllable. There are nine main transcriptions for
the central vowel sounds, namely” aa, a~, e, i, o, u, oe, eo~” and “yu”. It is important to note that a number of vowels have both SURVIVAL
long and short versions, and it is essential that learners not only distinguish them but also practice and master the six special
highlighted short vowels. Please refer to the Table of 51 Common Finals below for reference. CANTONESE
Table of 51 Common Finals
The 51 finals can be divided
long short long short long short long short long short long short long
into 4 groups as follows:

Central
Group 1: vowel

9 main vowels
Final aa (a~) e i o u oe (eo~) yu
endings

~i aai ai ei oi ui eoi
Group 2:
10 diphthongs
~u aau au iu ou

~m aam am im
Group 3:
17 finals ending in nasal ~n aan an in on un eon yun
consonant

~ ng aang ang eng ing ong ung oeng

~p aap ap ip
Group 4:
17 finals with unreleased ~t aat at it ot ut eot yut
stops “p, t, k”

~k aak ak ek ik ok uk oek

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
 Group 3: 17 finals ending in Group 4: 17 finals with
Group 1: 9 main vowels Group 2 : 10 diphthongs
nasal consonant unreleased stops “p, t, k”
Cantonese Meaning in Cantonese Meaning in Cantonese Meaning in Cantonese Meaning in
example Cantonese example Cantonese example Cantonese example Cantonese

aa f¡a¹ 花 flower aai f£ai³ 快 fast aam s¡am¹ 三 three aap d£ap³ 搭 to ride

a~ s¡n¹ 新 new ai s£i³ 細 small am s¡m¹ 心 heart ap s¦p¾ 十 ten

SURVIVAL
how;
e c©¹ 車 a car ei n®i¼ 你 you im d¶m² 點 o’clock
ip d¶p² 碟 a plate CANTONESE
a bill;
i cµ¹ 黐 sticky oi Âi³ 愛 love aan d¡an¹ 單 aat b£at³ 八 eight
singular
many;
o dÀ¹ 多 a lot
ui gËi¾ 攰 tired an s¡n¹ 新 new at c¡t¹ 七 seven

he, she, meet;

u fȳ 褲 trousers eoi k®oi¼ 佢 him, her in g·n³ 見 it j¿t¾ 熱 hot
see

oe* hÀe¹ 靴 boot aau m¡au¹ 貓 cat on gÀn¹ 乾 dry ot hÂt³ 渴 thirsty

mouth,
eo~* zªoi² 嘴 beak
au g¢u² 狗 dog un wÇn² 碗 a bowl ut fÈt³ 闊 wide

few;
yu* sÌu¹ 書 book iu s¶u² 少 a little eon s«on³ 信 a letter eot c©ot¹ 出 to go out

moon;
ou hÁu² 好 good yun sÌun¹ 酸 sour yut jÑut¾ 月 month

raw, aak b£ak³ 百 hundred

aang s¡ang¹生 uncooked
Syllabic consonants “m” and “ng”
to wait ak d¡k¹ 得 alright
ang d¢ng² 等 (for)
The sounds “m” and “ng” can form a syllable of their own.
smart;
eng l«ng³ 靚 beautiful ek l©k¹ 叻 capable
Pronounced similarly as in Cantonese Meaning in
the English word example Cantonese
ing s·ng³ 姓 surname ik sµk¹ 識 to know
sounds just like
m
‘mmh’
ܽ 唔 no; not
to
ong gÁng² 港 harbour ok lÅk¾ 落 descend
ng hang nÖ¼ 五 five
ung dÈng³ 凍 cold uk lËk¾ 六 six

a leg;
oeng h©ong¹香 fragrant oek gÂek³ 腳 foot

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
3. Tones:
Tone Numbers (for ordering of the same sound in dictionary and typing with keyboard):
Like in most Cantonese dictionaries or other Romanization systems, Jyutping also uses numeral numbers 1 – 6 to indicate from high to
low tones. It is recommended that you remember the traditional tone order, and therefore be able to use 1 – 6 to indicate Cantonese
tone in typing or in consulting a Cantonese dictionary. In this handout, the tone numbers 1 – 6 will be written in superscript in order
SURVIVAL
to make the marks clearly recognizable. CANTONESE

Tone Pitch Example

The following is an example of this modified system with the

絲 silk; 詩 poem;
1 High level tone sµ¹ 屍 corpse; 師 master
sketch illustrating the relative pitch curve of the six tones and
the Cantonese syllable “si” in all six tones with diacritics and
hand signals.

2 High rising tone s¶² 屎 feces; 史 history

3 Mid level tone s·³ 試 try; 弒 kill

4 Low falling tone sº½ 匙 key; 時 time

5 Low rising tone s»¼ 市 city; market

Note: The keyboard-like column on above left gives learners an
idea about the range of relative pitch in Cantonese.
6 Low level tone s¿¾ 事 matter; 視 vision

Source of Learning Materials: “Cantonese for Everyone 大家嘅廣東話” by Chow Bun Ching, The Commercial Press
 Self Study SURVIVAL
CantoSounds 粵音快靚正 CANTONESE
https://cantonese.hku.hk/cantosounds/learn/
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https://www.facebook.com/hkucantonese/
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CANTONESE