Opposites in Cantonese These are some common opposites, which may also act as a noun, an adjective or a phrase depending on the usage or as a whole meaning/ definition but could also be termed as "possibility and/or probability" in some unique cases. 男女 (naam4 neoi5): man-woman, male-female 父母 (fu6 mou5): parents - father-mother 夫婦 (fu1 fu5)/ 夫妻 (fu1 cai1): married couple, husband-wife 因果 (jan1 gwo2): karma, "cause-effect", "reason-result" 天地 (tin1 dei6): heaven-earth, sky-ground 日夜 (jat6 je6): day-night, morning-evening 早晚 (zou2 maan5): morning-evening 早晏 (zou2 aan3): specific moment in time - "early, late" 熱冷 (jit6 laang5): "hot-cold", weather - "heat(-ness)-cool(-ness)" 上下 (soeng6 ha6): up-down, above-below; 上下左右 (soeng6 ha6 zo2 jau6): calibration - up-down-left-right 左右 (zo2 jau6): left-right, "around, between of time" 前後 : front-back/rear of body/ object; "front-back/rear of something" 升降: ascend-descend, increase-decrease (in amount) (e.g. elevator, airplane, escalator, etc.) 出入 (ceot1 jap6): exit-enter, out-in (English: "in and out") 光暗 (gwong1 am3): bright-dark, "shiny-dark(-ening)" 買賣 (maai5 maai6): buy-sell 高低 (gou1 dai1): tall-short, high-low 上落 (soeng6 lok6): ride-drop from a transport or an object 加減 (gaa1 gaam2): add-subtract, plus-minus, increase-decrease 借還 (ze3 waan4): borrow-return 真假 (zan1 gaa2): real-fake, genuine-counterfeit, object: "real or artificial" 呎吋 (cek3 cyun3): foot-inch, "measurement of object/ body" 刀叉 (dou1 caa1): knife-fork, (also mean "cutlery, eating utensils") 飲食 (jam2 sik6): Colloquial Cantonese "drink-eat/dine"; 吃喝 (hek3 hot3): eat-drink (written, formal form) 長短 (coeng4 dyun2): long-short, duration - "long-short" = close meaning to "lengthwise" 軟硬 (jyun5 ngaang6): soft-hard, flexible-stiff 強弱 (koeng4 joek6): strong-weak, powerful-fragile, energetic-delicate 手脚 (sau2 geuk): Colloquial Cantonese for "limbs", "hands-feet" 大小 (daai6 siu2): big-small 多少 (do1 siu2): more-less, many-few 道路 (dou6 lou6): road-street, "road" as a whole 開散 (hoi1 saan2): open-close, on-off 愛恨 (ngoi3 han6): love-hate 陰陽 (jam1 joeng4): yin-yang, "evil-good", "darkness-light" 新舊 (san1 gau6): new-old, recent-ancient 黑白 (hak1 baak6): "black & white", sepia in photo prints

SCMP online news article: Can you truly understand Hong Kong if you don’t speak Cantonese?

There was an article on a local Hong Kong English newspaper last Friday - published on the SCMP (South China Morning Post) homepage - about the Cantonese language and check out the link below:

"Can you truly understand Hong Kong if you don’t speak Cantonese?"

LINK:

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1971507/can-you-truly-understand-hong-kong-if-you-dont

My expressing ability in Cantonese is rather poor 我嘅廣東話表達能力必較差就算出生香港三十四年, 因為阿麻係正宗上海人. 細個又有困難去學有又係因為我哋屋企人喺多國籍同講多語言嘅人呀! 大部份出生或住香港嘅外國人都有困難去學. 我諗我都算唔差啦～ My expressing ability in Cantonese is rather poor although born in Hong Kong for 34 years because my grandmother (on my father's side) is native Shanghainese. When I was young, I also have had the difficulty to learn, it is also because my folks are multinationals and multilingual individuals! Many born or foreigners living in Hong Kong also have difficulties to learn. I think I am not that bad too.

Cantonese consonant (FULL ENTRY) Cantonese has consonants in accordance to the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) of the Hong Kong linguistic Cantonese system [aka “Cantonese Pinyin”]: 1. (silent): silent form without a known/ "acting" or "hanging" consonant which acts like one (similar to "aleph" for Hebrew or "hamza" in Arabic; or the silent "h" in French/ Spanish; or the Greek " ' "; or stressed sound from the lips) 2. B: same as English alphabet "b" but more pronounced like "bh" in Hindi, Mayan Quiche, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Thai, Khmer, etc... e.g. B in "blend, blow, grab" 3. C: better known as "CH" in Cantonese names: Chan, Chung; e.g. C for "charge, champion, church" 4. D: same as English alphabet "d" but more pronounced like "dh" in Arabic and Sanskrit, e.g. D for "damp, drink, door" 5. F: same as English alphabet "f", e.g. F for "flower, fear, theft" 6. G: same as English alphabet "g", e.g. G for "go, grip, glow" 7. GW: better known as "GW" in Cantonese names: Guangdong, Gwok; closest to English word for e.g. GW for "Gwen, bag, Baghdad”; Korean alphabet: K’ – “ㅋ”; Arabic alphabet “GH” – “غ” 8. H: same as English alphabet “h” but mostly stressed, e.g. H for “Hong Kong, hurt, uh-oh”; Hebrew alphabet: CH – ‘’ ח’; Arabic alphabet “H” – “ح” 9. J: better known as “Y” as in English, e.g. Y for “yacht, yeast, bay” 10. K: same as English alphabet “k”, e.g. K for “keep, quack, beaker” 11. KW: similar to “GW” but more “K” sound, close equivalent to English alphabet “Q”, as in English, e.g. “quick, quiche, queen” 12. L: same as English alphabet “l” but mostly stressed, e.g. L for leap, line, balloon” 13. M: same as English alphabet “m” but in some cases stressed, e.g. M for “mother, hemp, beam” 14. N: same as English alphabet “n” but in some cases stressed, e.g. N for “near, pen, sunny” 15. NG: closest to English word, e.g. “tang, singer, bring” 16. P: same as English alphabet “p”, e.g. P for “party, pepper, harp” 17. S: same as English alphabet “s” but mostly stressed, e.g. S for “sand, hassle, piss” 18. T: same as English alphabet “t” but mostly stressed, e.g. T for “tear, better, taught” 19. W: same as English alphabet “w” but in some cases stressed, e.g. W for “watch, hewn, bow” 20. Z: better known as “TS” in Cantonese names: Tsingtao, Tseng, but in some cases may or may not be stressed, closest to English, e.g. “cheer, journey, pitch”

Cantonese consonants (part 1)

(PART 1)

Cantonese has consonants in accordance to the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) of the Hong Kong linguistic Cantonese system [aka “Cantonese Pinyin”]:

1. (silent): silent form without a known/ "acting" or "hanging" consonant which acts like one (similar to "aleph <font size="5" style="background-color: yellow;">א</font>" for Hebrew or "hamza <font style="background-color: yellow;">ء</font>" in Arabic; or the silent "h" in French/ Spanish; or the Greek " ' "; or stressed sound from the lips) 

2. B: same as English alphabet "b" but more pronounced like "bh" in Hindi, Mayan Quiche, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Thai, Khmer, etc... e.g. B in "blend, gi<font style="background-color: yellow;">b</font>berish, grab"

3. C: better known as "CH" in Cantonese names: Chan, Chung; e.g. C for "charge, champion, church"

4. D: same as English alphabet "d" but more pronounced like "dh" <font style="background-color: yellow;">ض</font> in Arabic and Sanskrit, e.g. D for "damp, drink, door"

5. F: same as English alphabet "f", e.g. F for "flower, fear, theft" [but in some cases sound like the Hebrew "F/ PH - <font size="5" style="background-color: yellow;">פ</font>"]

6. G: same as English alphabet "g", e.g. G for "go, grip, glow"<font color="#000000" face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font>

Cantonese has 2 words for the verb "wear": 帶 (daai3) and 著 (zoek3)

Cantonese has 2 words for the verb "wear"

戴 (daai3) (used for belts, girdle - anything TIED around body or thing)

= wear glasses: 戴眼鏡 (daai3 ngaan5 geng3) [literally "put on glasses"]

著 (zoek3) (used for shirts, t-shirts, jackets, overcoat, etc - anything WORN over body or thing)

= wear clothing: 著衫 (zoek3 saam1) [literally "wear shirt"]

and forget one more:

穿 (cyun1) (used for earrings, ear studs - anything PIERCED on body or thing)

= wear earrings/ studs: 穿耳環 (cyun1 ji5 waan4) [literally "pierce earrings/studs"]

PLEASE NOTE:

帶 (daai3) - the actual noun for "belt or girdle"

著 (zoek3) - old/ colloquial Cantonese verb for "to manifest"

穿 (cyun1) - the actual verb for "to pierce; put through; through"

Cantonese tenses: easy simple approach

An easy simple approach to change the tense in Cantonese is adding the particle:

verb (V) + particle

V + 咗 (tsoh) = past tense

V + 更 (gaang) = present continuous tense, gerund

V + 吓 (ha) = present tense in the sense of : "at this moment" OR a way of commanding someone or thing to take into action

Example: 

睇 (tai) = to watch (verb)

睇咗 (tai tsoh) = watched

睇更 (tai gaang) = watching

睇吓 (tai ha) = watch, watch(-es); command: WATCH!

香港係其中一個城市講廣東話，但廣州都係另外一個例子

香港係講廣東話嘅其中一個城市, 廣州就係另外一個例子

heung gong hai gohnng gong dong wa geh kei tsung yat goh sing sz, gwong tsau tsau hai ling ngoi yat goh lai tsz

Hong Kong is one of the cities that speaks Cantonese, Guangzhou (city of) is also another example.

香港 = Hong Kong

係 = is, am/are, to be (depending on situation)

講 = to talk, to speak

廣東話 = Cantonese (literally "spoken tongue of Guangdong Province")

嘅 = supporting article : "of and of"

其中 = is something of

一個 = one, one of (something usually in existence)

城市 = city

廣州 = Guangzhou

就 = in some exceptional cases it can be "is" (i.e. 就係)

另外 = another, apart

例子 = example

Cantonese: Ngoh yi ga sik gaang ha nng chaan, nei neh? (I'm having tea, what about you?)

我依家食寫更下午餐，您呢？

我 Ngoh = I

依家 yi ga = now, at present, at the moment

食 sik = to eat, to dine

更 gaang = supporting particle for "in the process of" , English for "-ing" form or present continuous tense

下午 ha nng = afternoon

下午餐 chaan = meal

(thus "ha nng chaan" = tea, tea break; whereas "nng chaan" means lunch)

您 nei = you (plural, intimate form)

呢 ne = supporting particle for interrogation