Cantonese Greetings: Essential Words, Phrases, Pronunciation, and Examples

Key takeaways

• Cantonese and Mandarin are not mutually intelligible: Hello in Mandarin is 你好 (nǐ hǎo), while in Cantonese it is 你好 pronounced (néih hóu). The characters are the same but the pronunciation is entirely different, and most other vocabulary differs even more.
• Cantonese has six tones compared to Mandarin’s four, making tone accuracy particularly important. This guide uses Jyutping, the standard Cantonese romanization system, with tone numbers 1-6 after each syllable to indicate tone.
• The Cantonese greeting 食咗飯未？(sihk6 zo2 faahn6 mei6?, literally Have you eaten yet?) is one of the most culturally significant phrases in Cantonese. It is used as a casual greeting equivalent to How are you? and reflects the central role of food in Cantonese culture.
• In Cantonese, the distinction between 唔該 (m4 goi1) and 多謝 (do1 ze6) for thank you is important. 唔該 is used when thanking someone for a service or effort. 多謝 is used when thanking someone for a gift or favor. Using the wrong one is a common mistake.

Cantonese greetings are the entry point to connecting with speakers of one of the world’s most culturally rich and widely spoken Chinese varieties. Spoken in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong, and across diaspora communities from Vancouver to London, Cantonese is the everyday language of tens of millions of people.

italki connects learners with Cantonese tutors who can help you practice greetings and pronunciation in real conversation with immediate feedback on your tones. This guide covers basic greetings, time-based greetings, how to ask how someone is, leave-taking expressions, essential polite phrases, and the cultural context behind the most important expressions.

Work with a Chinese tutor online who specializes in Cantonese to practice greetings with correct tones and develop natural Cantonese conversation from your first session.

Understanding jyutping and cantonese tones

This guide uses Jyutping (粵拼), the standard romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong. Jyutping writes the sounds of Cantonese syllables in Roman letters followed by a tone number (1-6).

The six Cantonese tones:

Tone number	Description	Contour	Example
1	High level or high falling	High and flat (or slight fall from top)	詩 si1 (poetry)
2	High rising	Starts mid-high, rises	史 si2 (history)
3	Mid level	Mid pitch, flat	試 si3 (to try)
4	Low falling	Starts mid-low, falls	時 si4 (time)
5	Low rising	Starts low, rises	市 si5 (market)
6	Low level	Low pitch, flat	事 si6 (matter/thing)

In Jyutping, tones are written as numbers directly after the syllable: néih in Jyutping is written nei5 (the 5 indicates Tone 5, low rising).

For ease of reading in this guide, both Jyutping with tone numbers and an approximate romanized pronunciation guide are provided where helpful.

Basic greetings

Characters	Jyutping	Pronunciation guide	English
你好	nei5 hou2	nay-HO	Hello
您好	nei5 hou2	nay-HO	Hello (more formal, same as above in most Cantonese)
喂	wai3	why	Hello (on the phone)
係	hai6	high	Yes
唔係	m4 hai6	m-high	No
好	hou2	ho	Good / fine / OK
唔好	m4 hou2	m-ho	Not good / bad
係囉	hai6 lo3	high-lo	That’s right / exactly

你好 (nei5 hou2) is the standard Cantonese greeting. It shares the same characters as Mandarin 你好 but is pronounced completely differently. The first syllable 你 (nei5) has a low rising tone; the second syllable 好 (hou2) has a high rising tone.

Time-based greetings

Characters	Jyutping	English	Time of day
早晨	zou2 san4	Good morning	Used in the morning
早	zou2	Morning (informal)	Casual morning greeting
午安	ng5 on1	Good afternoon	Midday and early afternoon
晚安	maan5 on1	Good evening / goodnight	Evening and at parting before bed
晚上好	maan5 soeng6 hou2	Good evening	Formal evening greeting

早晨 (zou2 san4) is the standard morning greeting. Many Cantonese speakers shorten it to just 早 (zou2) in casual contexts, equivalent to simply saying Morning in English.

晚安 (maan5 on1) serves double duty: it can mean good evening as a greeting or goodnight when leaving or going to bed. Context makes the meaning clear.

Asking how someone is

Characters	Jyutping	English	Register
你好嗎？	nei5 hou2 maa3?	How are you?	Standard
你點呀？	nei5 dim2 aa3?	How are you? / How’s it going?	Informal
最近點？	zeoi3 gan6 dim2?	How have you been lately?	Casual
你係點呀？	nei5 hai6 dim2 aa3?	How are you?	Informal
好耐冇見	hou2 noi6 mou5 gin3	Long time no see	After a long absence
你最近點樣？	nei5 zeoi3 gan6 dim2 joeng2?	How have you been recently?	Semi-formal

你點呀？ (nei5 dim2 aa3?) is the most common casual way to ask how someone is in everyday Hong Kong Cantonese. The 呀 (aa3) at the end is a sentence-final particle that softens the question and marks friendly, casual register.

Responses to How are you?:

Characters	Jyutping	English
好好	hou2 hou2	Very good
幾好	gei2 hou2	Pretty good / quite good
馬馬虎虎	maa5 maa5 fu2 fu2	So-so (literally horse horse tiger tiger)
唔係好好	m4 hai6 hou2 hou2	Not very well
唔錯	m4 co3	Not bad

The food greeting

食咗飯未？(sihk6 zo2 faahn6 mei6?) is one of the most distinctively Cantonese ways to greet someone. It literally asks Have you eaten yet? but functions as a general greeting equivalent to How are you? or How’s it going?

Characters	Jyutping	English
食咗飯未？	sihk6 zo2 faahn6 mei6?	Have you eaten yet? (greeting)
食咗喇	sihk6 zo2 laa3	Yes, I’ve eaten
未食	mei6 sihk6	Not yet (I haven’t eaten)
啱啱食	ngaam1 ngaam1 sihk6	Just ate

This greeting reflects the centrality of food in Cantonese culture. Answering honestly is fine: I’ve eaten (食咗喇) or Not yet (未食) are both perfectly normal responses, and the latter often leads to an invitation to eat together. It is most common among family, friends, and close acquaintances, and is not typically used in formal settings.

Leave-taking expressions

Characters	Jyutping	English	Notes
拜拜	baai1 baai3	Bye bye	Very common, borrowed from English
再見	zoi3 gin3	Goodbye / see you again	Standard, slightly more formal
回頭見	wui4 tau4 gin3	See you later	Casual
聽日見	ting1 jat6 gin3	See you tomorrow	Specific to next day
遲啲見	ci4 di1 gin3	See you later	Casual see you in a bit
保重	bou2 zung6	Take care	Warm, used at longer partings
慢走	maan6 zau2	Take care / go slowly	Said to someone leaving; shows concern
晚安	maan5 on1	Goodnight	When parting in the evening

拜拜 (baai1 baai3) is borrowed directly from the English bye bye and is the most casual and commonly used farewell in modern Hong Kong Cantonese, used by all ages.

慢走 (maan6 zau2) literally means walk slowly and is a warm expression of care used when someone is leaving, equivalent to take care or safe travels. It is a culturally meaningful phrase that signals the host’s concern for the departing guest.

Essential polite phrases

Characters	Jyutping	English	Usage
唔該	m4 goi1	Thank you (for a service) / Excuse me	Thanking servers, helpers; also to get attention
多謝	do1 ze6	Thank you (for a gift or favor)	For receiving a present or a meaningful kindness
唔使客氣	m4 sai2 haak3 hei3	You’re welcome / Don’t be polite	Response to thanks
唔緊要	m4 gan2 jiu3	No problem / It’s OK / Never mind	Casual response to apologies or thanks
對唔住	deoi3 m4 zyu6	Sorry / I’m sorry	Standard apology
唔好意思	m4 hou2 ji3 si3	Excuse me / Sorry to bother you	Mild apology or to get attention
請	cing2	Please	Polite request marker
麻煩你	maa4 faan4 nei5	Sorry to trouble you / Please (when asking for help)	Polite request
係	hai6	Yes	Simple agreement
唔係	m4 hai6	No	Simple negation

The 唔該 vs 多謝 distinction is one of the first things to learn in Cantonese politeness:

• 唔該 (m4 goi1): Use when someone does something for you. Thank the waiter who brings your food. Thank someone who gives you directions. Use it to get a waiter’s attention (Excuse me).
• 多謝 (do1 ze6): Use when someone gives you something. Thank the person who gives you a birthday present. Thank someone who gives you a gift.

In Hong Kong, confusing these two is noticeable but not deeply rude. Getting them right signals genuine familiarity with Cantonese culture.

Responding to greetings

Characters	Jyutping	English	Used after
你好	nei5 hou2	Hello (to you too)	Response to hello
係囉	hai6 lo3	Yes, exactly	Agreement
無喎	mou5 wo3	No, not really	Mild disagreement
幾好喎	gei2 hou2 wo3	Quite good, actually	Response to how are you
還好啦	waan4 hou2 laa1	Not bad / OK	Modest fine
好久不見	hou2 gau2 bat1 gin3	Long time no see	Standard response to reunion

The particles 喎 (wo3) and 囉 (lo3) are extremely common in Cantonese and carry nuanced meaning related to the speaker’s attitude and new information. 喎 often signals new or surprising information; 囉 often signals resignation or as expected. These particles mark natural Cantonese and are worth recognizing even if beginners do not need to produce them immediately.

Cultural notes on cantonese greetings

Directness and formality: Cantonese greetings are often more direct than Mandarin greetings and less formally structured. In Hong Kong particularly, the greeting culture is fast-paced and efficient, reflecting the city’s commercial character.

Age and respect: When greeting older relatives or people in a position of respect, more formal language is expected. The use of formal titles (伯父 baak3 fu6 for a father’s elder brother, 嬸嬸 sam2 sam2 for an aunt) rather than just names is important in family settings.

The handshake: Physical greetings vary by context. In business settings, handshakes are standard. In casual social settings among friends, nods or casual waves are common. Hugs are less common than in Western social contexts.

Cantonese in Hong Kong: In Hong Kong, many residents switch between Cantonese and English fluidly, particularly in professional contexts. A greeting in Cantonese is warmly received even if the conversation then shifts to English. Making the effort to use Cantonese shows respect for local culture.

Lunar New Year greetings: During Lunar New Year, specific greetings are expected. 恭喜發財 (gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4, congratulations and prosperity) is the classic New Year greeting, typically accompanied by giving red envelopes (利是 lai6 si6) with money.

Characters	Jyutping	English	Occasion
恭喜發財	gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4	Wishing you prosperity	Lunar New Year
新年快樂	san1 nin4 faai3 lok6	Happy New Year	Lunar New Year
身體健康	san1 tai2 gin6 hong1	Wishing you good health	New Year / general blessing
萬事如意	maan6 si6 jyu4 ji3	May everything go as you wish	New Year blessing
生日快樂	saang1 jat6 faai3 lok6	Happy birthday	Birthday

Practice cantonese greetings with a tutor

Cantonese tones are among the most challenging aspects of the language for new learners: six tones instead of four, with tone contours that are distinct but subtle when heard for the first time. A tutor who is a native Cantonese speaker can demonstrate correct tones in real time, listen to your production and give immediate correction, and help you develop the ear for Cantonese pitch patterns through natural conversation.

italki’s 30,000+ expert tutors include native Cantonese speakers from Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong, and Cantonese-speaking communities worldwide. Trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide, the platform lets you find a tutor who can help you develop natural Cantonese from greetings through to fluent conversation. Book a trial lesson and start speaking Cantonese with the correct tones from your very first session.

FAQ

Is Cantonese the same as Mandarin?

No. Cantonese and Mandarin are distinct and largely mutually unintelligible languages. A native Mandarin speaker cannot understand spoken Cantonese without study, and vice versa. They share the same writing system (using Chinese characters), so written communication is possible through Standard Written Chinese, but the spoken languages are as different as, for example, Spanish and Italian.

What romanization system does Cantonese use?

The standard system is Jyutping, developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong. It writes Cantonese sounds in Roman letters with a tone number (1-6) after each syllable. Some older materials use Yale romanization, which uses tone marks instead of numbers. Most modern learning resources use Jyutping.

How do you say thank you in Cantonese?

There are two important thank you expressions. 唔該 (m4 goi1) is used to thank someone for doing something for you, such as a waiter bringing your food or someone giving you directions. 多謝 (do1 ze6) is used to thank someone for giving you something, such as a gift. Using the wrong one is not a serious error, but knowing the distinction shows cultural awareness.

How do you say hello in Cantonese?

The standard greeting is 你好 (Jyutping: nei5 hou2). On the phone, 喂 (wai3) is used, equivalent to the English hello when answering a call. For morning specifically, 早晨 (zou2 san4) or the casual 早 (zou2) are used.

What are the six tones in Cantonese?

The six Cantonese tones are: Tone 1 (high level), Tone 2 (high rising), Tone 3 (mid level), Tone 4 (low falling), Tone 5 (low rising), and Tone 6 (low level). In Jyutping, they are represented by numbers 1-6 written after the syllable. Comparing to Mandarin’s four tones, Cantonese has additional distinctions particularly at lower pitch levels.