100 Basic Cantonese Words and Phrases for Everyday Conversations

Key takeaways

• Cantonese is not a dialect of Mandarin: it is a distinct Chinese language with different vocabulary, grammar patterns, and a tonal system of 9 tones (compared to Mandarin’s 4 plus a neutral tone)
• Jyutping is the standard romanization for Cantonese, developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong. Tones are indicated by numbers 1-6, where 1 is high-level and 6 is low-entering
• Many basic Cantonese words are entirely different from their Mandarin equivalents, including greetings: thank you in Cantonese is 唔該 (m4 goi1), while Mandarin uses 謝謝 (xièxie)
• Cantonese is the primary language of Hong Kong, Macau, and large overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, North America, and the United Kingdom

Cantonese and Mandarin are both Chinese languages, but they are not the same. A Mandarin speaker cannot understand a Cantonese speaker any more than a Spanish speaker can understand a Portuguese speaker from conversation alone. The written characters overlap significantly, but the spoken sounds, vocabulary, and grammar of the two languages diverge in fundamental ways.

italki connects learners with Chinese teachers who specialize in Cantonese and can help you navigate the language’s nine tones, distinctive vocabulary, and cultural context.

This guide covers 100 basic Cantonese words and phrases across ten categories: greetings, numbers, food and drink, family, colors, directions, time, shopping, and emergency phrases, with Jyutping romanization throughout.

Cantonese versus Mandarin: what is different

If you already know some Mandarin, do not expect to transfer it directly to Cantonese. The languages differ in:

Vocabulary: Many everyday words are different. Delicious is 好食 (hou2 sik6) in Cantonese but 好吃 (hǎochī) in Mandarin. I is 我 (ngo5) in Cantonese, same character as Mandarin’s 我 (wǒ), but pronounced differently.

Tones: Cantonese has 9 tones (6 contour tones plus 3 entering tones with short, checked syllables). Mandarin has 4 tones plus a neutral tone. The two tone systems are completely different and do not correspond to each other.

Grammar: Cantonese has features that Mandarin does not, including the final particle 㗎 (gaa3) and different verb-object order in some constructions.

Writing: Traditional Chinese characters are standard in Cantonese contexts (Hong Kong, Macau, overseas communities). Simplified characters are used in Mainland Chinese contexts for Mandarin.

Chinese languages explains how Mandarin, Cantonese, and other varieties relate to each other.

Jyutping: reading Cantonese romanization

Jyutping (粵拼, jyut6 ping3) is the standard Cantonese romanization system. Tones are written as numbers at the end of each syllable:

Tone number	Tone name	Contour	Example
1	High level	55 (flat, high)	詩 si1 (poem)
2	High rising	35 (low to high)	史 si2 (history)
3	Mid level	33 (flat, mid)	試 si3 (to try)
4	Low falling	21 (starting low, falling)	時 si4 (time)
5	Low rising	13 (low, then rising)	市 si5 (city/market)
6	Low level	22 (flat, low)	事 si6 (matter/event)
1 (entering)	High entering	Short, checked	識 sik1 (to know)
3 (entering)	Mid entering	Short, checked	錫 sek3 (tin/to love, colloquial)
6 (entering)	Low entering	Short, checked	食 sik6 (to eat)

For practical purposes, beginners should focus on the 6 main tones. Tones 1, 3, and 6 are flat (level tones at high, mid, and low pitch). Tone 2 is rising (like an English question), tone 5 is low-rising, and tone 4 is low-falling.

Greetings and basic phrases

Cantonese	Jyutping	English
你好	nei5 hou2	Hello
早晨	zou2 san4	Good morning
晚安	maan5 on1	Good night
再見	zoi3 gin3	Goodbye
唔該	m4 goi1	Thank you (for a service/favor) / Excuse me
多謝	do1 ze6	Thank you (for a gift or something given)
唔緊要	m4 gan2 jiu3	You’re welcome / It’s fine / Never mind
係	hai6	Yes
唔係	m4 hai6	No
唔好意思	m4 hou2 ji3 si3	Sorry / Excuse me
對唔住	deoi3 m4 zyu6	I’m sorry (genuine apology)
我唔明	ngo5 m4 ming4	I don’t understand
你講得慢啲得唔得？	nei5 gong2 dak1 maan6 di1 dak1 m4 dak1	Can you speak more slowly?
你識唔識講英文？	nei5 sik1 m4 sik1 gong2 jing1 man2	Do you speak English?
我係學廣東話	ngo5 hai6 hok6 gwong2 dung1 waa6	I am learning Cantonese

Note: 唔該 (m4 goi1) is used to thank someone for a service (a waiter, someone who holds a door) and to get someone’s attention (Excuse me). 多謝 (do1 ze6) is used to thank someone for a gift or something given to you. This distinction is important in social situations.

Numbers 1-20

Number	Cantonese	Jyutping
1	一	jat1
2	二 / 兩	ji6 / loeng5
3	三	saam1
4	四	sei3
5	五	ng5
6	六	luk6
7	七	cat1
8	八	baat3
9	九	gau2
10	十	sap6
11	十一	sap6 jat1
12	十二	sap6 ji6
20	二十	ji6 sap6
100	一百	jat1 baak3
1,000	一千	jat1 cin1

Note on 2: 二 (ji6) is the basic number two. 兩 (loeng5) is used before measure words when counting two of something (兩個: two [of something]; 兩杯: two cups). This is the same distinction as Mandarin 二 vs 兩, but the Cantonese pronunciation is entirely different.

Cantonese greetings add more formal and informal expressions for phone calls, messages, and everyday conversation.

Food and drink

Cantonese	Jyutping	English
好食	hou2 sik6	Delicious
水	seoi2	Water
茶	caa4	Tea
咖啡	gaa3 fe1	Coffee
飯	faan6	Cooked rice / meal
麵	min6	Noodles
雞	gai1	Chicken
豬肉	zyu1 juk6	Pork
牛肉	ngau4 juk6	Beef
魚	jyu4	Fish
菜	coi3	Vegetables
湯	tong1	Soup
粥	zuk1	Congee / rice porridge
點心	dim2 sam1	Dim sum
燒味	siu1 mei6	Roasted meats (BBQ pork, roast duck, etc.)
唔辣	m4 laat6	Not spicy
唔加	m4 gaa1	No [addition] please
唔要	m4 jiu3	Don’t want / Please don’t add
我食素	ngo5 sik6 sou3	I am vegetarian
過敏	gwo3 man5	Allergy

Family members

Cantonese	Jyutping	English
爸爸	baa4 baa4	Dad
媽媽	maa4 maa4	Mom
哥哥	go4 go4	Older brother
姐姐	ze4 ze4	Older sister
弟弟	dai6 dai6	Younger brother
妹妹	mui6 mui6	Younger sister
爺爺	je4 je4	Paternal grandfather
嫲嫲	maa4 maa4	Paternal grandmother
外公	ngoi6 gung1	Maternal grandfather
外婆	ngoi6 po4	Maternal grandmother
丈夫	zoeng3 fu1	Husband
太太	taai3 taai3	Wife
仔	zai2	Son (colloquial)
女	neoi5	Daughter

Note: Cantonese family terms distinguish paternal and maternal grandparents, and older/younger siblings, in ways that English does not. The same character 媽 appears in both mom (媽媽) and paternal grandmother (嫲嫲), but with different tones in Jyutping.

Colors

Cantonese	Jyutping	English
紅色	hung4 sik1	Red
橙色	caang2 sik1	Orange
黃色	wong4 sik1	Yellow
綠色	luk6 sik1	Green
藍色	laam4 sik1	Blue
紫色	zi2 sik1	Purple
白色	baak6 sik1	White
黑色	haak1 sik1	Black
灰色	fui1 sik1	Grey
粉紅色	fan2 hung4 sik1	Pink

Note: In Cantonese, colors are typically followed by 色 (sik1: color), though 色 can be dropped in informal speech. In Mandarin, the equivalent is 色 (sè), but the tones and some pronunciations differ.

Directions and places

Cantonese	Jyutping	English
去邊？	heoi3 bin1	Where are you going? / Where is it?
左	zo2	Left
右	jau6	Right
直行	zik6 haang4	Go straight
上	soeng5	Up / Above
落	lok6	Down / Below
地鐵站	dei6 tit3 zaam6	MTR / metro station
巴士站	baa1 si2 zaam6	Bus stop
醫院	ji1 jyun2	Hospital
廁所	ci3 so2	Toilet / bathroom
超市	ciu1 si5	Supermarket
酒店	zau2 dim3	Hotel

A Cantonese tutor can drill directions and place vocabulary with map-based exercises so you practice real-life navigational scenarios in spoken Cantonese, not just memorized phrases.

Time expressions

Cantonese	Jyutping	English
今日	gam1 jat6	Today
聽日	ting1 jat6	Tomorrow
琴日	kam4 jat6	Yesterday
而家	ji4 gaa1	Now / right now
早上	zou2 soeng5	Morning
下晝	haa6 zau3	Afternoon
夜晚	je6 maan5	Evening / night
幾點？	gei2 dim2	What time is it?
分鐘	fan1 zung1	Minute
小時	siu2 si4	Hour
星期一	sing1 kei4 jat1	Monday
星期日	sing1 kei4 jat6	Sunday

Note: Cantonese uses different words from Mandarin for many time expressions. Today is 今日 (gam1 jat6) in Cantonese but 今天 (jīntiān) in Mandarin. Now is 而家 (ji4 gaa1) in Cantonese but 現在 (xiànzài) in Mandarin.

Shopping phrases

Cantonese	Jyutping	English
幾多錢？	gei2 do1 cin2	How much does it cost?
平啲得唔得？	peng4 di1 dak1 m4 dak1	Can you lower the price?
太貴	taai3 gwai3	Too expensive
我要呢個	ngo5 jiu3 ni1 go3	I want this one
唔要	m4 jiu3	I don’t want it
有冇…？	jau5 mou5	Do you have…?
埋單	maai4 daan1	The bill please
用信用卡	jung6 seon3 jung6 kaat1	Pay by credit card
唔洗找贖	m4 sai2 zaau2 suk6	Keep the change
收據	sau1 geoi3	Receipt

Emergency and essential survival phrases

Cantonese	Jyutping	English
救命！	gau3 meng6	Help! (emergency)
打電話報警	daa2 din6 waa2 bou3 ging2	Call the police
我唔舒服	ngo5 m4 syu1 fuk6	I don’t feel well
我需要睇醫生	ngo5 seoi1 jiu3 tai2 ji1 sang1	I need to see a doctor
呢度係邊？	ni1 dou6 hai6 bin1	Where is this? / Where am I?
我迷路	ngo5 mai4 lou6	I am lost
唔好！	m4 hou2	Stop! / No!
我需要幫助	ngo5 seoi1 jiu3 bong1 zo6	I need help

Learn Cantonese with a native tutor

Cantonese tones are the primary challenge for most learners because the nine-tone system requires ears and a voice that have been trained specifically for Cantonese, not carried over from Mandarin or English. Recorded vocabulary helps, but feedback from a native speaker who can hear your tones and correct them before they solidify as habits is irreplaceable. italki has 30,000+ expert tutors trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide, including Cantonese-speaking Chinese tutors who offer conversation practice, tone drilling, and cultural context for Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas Cantonese communities. Book a trial lesson and get your tones right from the start.

FAQ

Is Cantonese harder to learn than Mandarin?

Both languages present significant challenges for English speakers. Cantonese has nine tones versus Mandarin’s four, which makes tonal accuracy more demanding. Cantonese also has fewer learning resources than Mandarin since Mandarin has more learners globally. However, if your goal is to communicate in Hong Kong, Macau, or with overseas Cantonese communities, Cantonese is the practical choice regardless of relative difficulty. The two languages are different enough that learning one does not substitute for the other in the communities where each is spoken.

Can I use Mandarin in Hong Kong?

Mandarin is increasingly understood in Hong Kong, particularly by younger people and those in the tourism industry. However, Cantonese is the local language and the one that opens genuine cultural connection and integration. Using Cantonese, even imperfectly, signals respect for local culture and is welcomed warmly. English is also widely spoken in Hong Kong. For daily life, shopping at local markets, and building real relationships, Cantonese vocabulary is far more useful than Mandarin in a Hong Kong context.

What is the difference between Jyutping and Yale romanization for Cantonese?

Yale romanization was the dominant Cantonese system from the mid-20th century and used letter combinations and diacritical marks to indicate tones (h for low tones, macrons and accents for others). Jyutping, developed in 1993 by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong, uses numbers 1-6 after each syllable for tones and is now the standard system in most academic and educational contexts. Both systems appear in older and newer learning materials. For new learners, Jyutping is the recommended starting point because it is more systematic, widely supported in digital tools, and the current standard.