Cantonese Phrase Book (Beta)Edited by Kaibo Huang at
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Table of ContentsCantonese Phrase Book
(Beta)...................................................................................................................1
Phrase
list..............................................................................................................................................2
Problems...........................................................................................................................................3
Numbers............................................................................................................................................3
Time..................................................................................................................................................6
Clock
time....................................................................................................................................6
Duration.......................................................................................................................................7
Days.............................................................................................................................................7
Months.........................................................................................................................................8
Colors................................................................................................................................................8
Transportation...................................................................................................................................9
Bus and
train................................................................................................................................9
Directions.....................................................................................................................................9
Taxi.............................................................................................................................................11
Lodging...........................................................................................................................................11
Money.............................................................................................................................................12
Eating..............................................................................................................................................13
Bars.................................................................................................................................................15
Shopping.........................................................................................................................................16
Driving............................................................................................................................................18
Authority.........................................................................................................................................18
1/19
Basic GreetingsHello. . Nih hu. How are you? ? Nih dm'yeuhng a?
/ ? Nih hu ma? / Dm a? (informal) Fine, thank you. . Gi hu. (No
need to say "thank you" after answering "fine" in Cantonese) What
is your name? ? Nih giu mt'yh mhng a? My name is ______ . ______.
Ngh go mhng giu ______ . Nice to meet you. . Hahng'wih. Please. .
Chng. Thank you. (after someone does something for you) . Mh'gi. G
Thank you. (when someone gives you a gift) Djeh. You're welcome. G
. Mhsi. / . Mh'si haak3 hei3. / . Mhsi mh'gi. G G G Yes. . Haih.
No. . Mh'haih. G Excuse me/Pardon me/Sorry. G . Deui-mh-jyuh.
Goodbye Joigin. I can't speak Cantonese. G . Ngh mh'sk gng
Gwngdngw. Excuse me, do you speak English? G ? Chngmahn nih
sk-mh-sk gng Yngmn a? Is there someone here who speaks English? ?
Chngmahn yuhmh yhn sk gng Yngmn a? Help! ! Gau mehng ! Look out! !
Susm! Good morning. . Jushn. I don't understand. 2/19
G . Ngh mh'mhng. Where is the toilet? ? Bndouh yuh chi sh?
ProblemsLeave me alone. . Mh'hu gau ngh. G Don't touch me! !
Mh'hu dihm ngh! G I'll call the police. . Ngh wih giu gngchaat.
Police! ! Gngchaat! Stop! Thief! ! ! Mih ju! Chaahkji! Please help
me. . Mh'gi bng ngh. G It's an emergency. . Hu gn'gp. I'm lost. .
Ngh dohngst louh. I lost my bag. G . Ngh mh'gin j go doih. I
dropped my wallet. . Ngh dit j go nghn bau. I'm sick. G . Ngh mh
syfuhk. I've been injured. . Ngh sauh j sung. Please call a doctor.
. Mh'gi bng ngh giu ysng. G Can I use your phone? G ? H-mh-h'yi je
go dihnwh yuhng a?
Numbers1 yt 2 yih 3 sam 3/19
4 sei 5 gh 6 luhk 7 cht 8 baat 9 gu 10 sahp 11 sahpyt 12 sahpyih
13 sahpsam 14 sahpsei 15 sahpgh 16 sahpluhk 17 sahpcht 18 sahpbaat
19 sahpgu 20 yihsahp 21 yihsahpyt 22 yihsahpyih 23 yihsahpsam 30
samsahp 40 seisahp 4/19
50 ghsahp 60 luhksahp 70 chtsahp 80 baatsahp 90 gusahp 100
ytbaak 200 yihbaak 300 sambaak 1000 ytchn 2000 yihchn 10,000
ytmaahn 100,000 sahpmaahn 1,000,000 ytbaakmaahn 10,000,000
ytchnmaahn 100,000,000 ytyk 1,000,000,000 sahpyk 10,000,000,000
ytbaakyk 100,000,000,000 ytchnyk 1,000,000,000,000 ytsiuh number
_____ (train, bus, etc.) _____ houh half bun less su 5/19
more d
Timenow yg later chh before ju morning juju afternoon aanjau
evening yeh mahn Clock time one o'clock yt dm two o'clock luhng dm
two five / luhng dm yt/luhng dm daahp yt two ten / luhng dm
yih/luhng dm daahp yih two fifteen / luhng dm sam/luhng dm daahp
sam two thirty/Half past two luhng dm bun (not / ) two forty-five /
luhng dm gu/luhng dm daahp gu two fifty / luhng dm sahp/luhng dm
daahp sahp two fifty-five luhng dm daahp sahpyt (not ) two
fifty-seven luhng dm ghsahpcht fn
6/19
Duration _____ minute(s) _____ fnjng _____ hour(s) _____ go jng
_____ day(s) _____ yaht _____ week(s) _____ go lihbaai _____
month(s) _____ go yuht _____ year(s) _____ nhn Days today gm'yaht
yesterday chhm'yaht tomorrow tngyaht the day before last chhnyaht
the day after tomorrow hauh'yaht this week gm go lihbaai last week
seuhng go lihbaai next week hah go lihbaai Sunday Monday Tuesday
Wednesday Thursday
lihbaai yaht lihbaai yt lihbaai yih lihbaai sam lihbaai sei
7/19
Friday lihbaai gh Saturday lihbaai luhk Months January yt'yuht
February yih'yuht March sam'yuht April seiyuht May gh'yuht June
luhk'yuht July cht'yuht August baat'yuht September guyuht October
sahpyuht November sahpyt'yuht December sahpyih'yuht
Colorsblack hk sk white baahk sk gray fi sk red hhng sk blue
8/19
yellow green orange purple brown
G lahm sk whng sk luhk sk chahng sk j sk f sk
TransportationBus and train In Cantonese, "train" is translated
into (fch) and "bus" is (bs). The language uses measure words or
numeral classifiers before the actual nouns. In context of the
following examples, the respective Cantonese measure words for and
are (ban) and (ga). How much is a ticket to _____? _____? Heui
_____ jung fi yiu gid chn gah? One ticket to _____, please. G
_____, . Yt jung fi heui _____, mh'gi. Where does this train/bus
go? []/[] ? N [ban fch]/[ga bs] heui bn? Where is the train/bus to
_____? _____ []/[] ? Heui _____ [ban fch]/[ga bs] hi bndouh daap
gah? Does this train/bus stop in _____? G []/[]_____? N [ban
fch]/[ga bs] thng-mh- thng _____ gah? When does the train/bus for
_____ leave? _____[/]? Heui _____ [ban fch]/[ga bs] gidm ju gah?
When will this train/bus arrive in _____? []/[]_____? [Ban fch]/[Ga
bs] wih gidm heuidou _____ gah? Directions How do I get to _____ ?
_____? Ngh h'yi dm heui _____ a? the train station fch jaahm the
bus station? 9/19
bs jaahm the airport? gichuhng downtown? sh'kui the youth
hostel? chngnhn luihsh the _____ hotel? _____ _____ judim the
American/Australian/British/Canadian consulate /// ?
Mihgwok/Ouju/Yng'gwok/Gnhdaaih lhngsihgn Where are there a lot
of_____ ? _____? Bndouh h'yi wndou hud _____ a? restaurants chantng
bars jub sites to see gngdm Can you show me on the map? G ?
H-mh-h'yi hi jung deihtuh douh j bi ngh ti a? street gai Turn left.
Jyun j. Turn right. Jyun yauh. left j right yauh straight ahead
jihk'hahng towards the _____ _____ heui _____ past the _____ _____
gwoj _____ before the _____ _____ jchhn Watch for the _____. _____.
Tijyuh _____. intersection sahpjihlouh'hu north 10/19
bkmihn south nahm'mihn east dngmihn west simihn uphill suhngsan
downhill lohksan Taxi Taxi! ! Dksh! Take me to _____, please. G
_____, . Joi ngh heui _____, mh'gi. How much does it cost to get to
_____? _____? Heui _____ yiu gid chn gah? Take me there, please. G
, . Joi ngh heui gdouh, mh'gi
LodgingDo you have any rooms available? ? Nihdeih yuh-muh hngfng
a? How much is a room for one person/two people? / ?
Danyhnfng/Sungyhnfng yiu gid chn a? Does the room come with _____?
_____? Gan fng yuh-muh _____ gah? bedsheets chhngkm a bathroom
yuhkst a telephone dihnwah a TV dihnsih May I see the room first? G
? H-mh-h'yi ti-hh gan fng sn a? Do you have anything _____? _____?
Yuh-muh gan fng hi _____ gah? 11/19
quieter jihngd bigger daaihd cleaner gnjehngd cheaper phngd OK,
I'll take it. , . Hu, ngh yiu n gan. I will stay for _____
night(s). _____. Ngh hi hidouh jyuh _____ mahn. Can you suggest
another hotel? G ? Nih h-mh-h'yi gaaisiuh daihyih gan judim bi ngh
a? Do you have a _____? _____? Nihdeih yuh-muh _____ gah? safe
gaapmaahn lockers chyhmahtgwaih Is breakfast/supper included? G / ?
Bau-mh-bau juchan/mahnchan gah? What time is breakfast/supper? / ?
Gidm yuh juchan/mahnchan gah? Please clean my room. . Mh'gi bng ngh
jp-hh gan fng. G Can you wake me at _____? G _____? H-mh-h'yi _____
giusng ngh a? I want to check out. . Ngh sung teuifng.
MoneyDo you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? G // ?
Nihdeih su-mh-su Mih/Ou/G yhn gah? Do you accept British pounds? G
? Nihdeih su-mh-su Yngbohng gah? Do you accept credit cards? G ?
Nihdeih su-mh-su sun-yoong-caht gah? Can you change money for me? G
? H-mh-h'yi bng ngh cheung chn a? Where can I get money changed?
12/19
? Ngh h'yi heui bndouh cheung chn a? Can you change a traveler's
check for me? G ? H-mh-h'yi bng ngh cheung jung luih'hhng jpiu a?
Where can I get a traveler's check changed? ? Ngh h'yi heui bndouh
cheung jung luih'hhng jpiu a? What is the exchange rate? ? Wuihlut
haih gid a? Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? ? Bndouh
yuh gwai'hyhn'gi a?
EatingA table for one person/two people, please. G /, . Yt jung
ytyhnti/yihyhnti, mh'gi. Can I look at the menu, please? G , . Bi
jung chanpai ngh ti, mh'gi. Can I look in the kitchen? G ?
H-mh-h'yi ti-hh g chyhfng a? Is there a house specialty? ? Yuh mtyh
yhsihk chutmng gah? Is there a local specialty? ? Yuh-muh bndeih
yhsihk gah? I'm a vegetarian. . Ngh sihk sou. I don't eat pork. G .
Ngh mh'sihk jy. I don't eat beef. G . Ngh mh'sihk nguh. I only eat
kosher food. . Ngh jihnghaih sihk chngjn yh. Can you make it
"lite", please? (Literally, Do not add too much oil, please.) G , .
Mh'hu lohk gamd yuh, mh'gi. G fixed-price meal touchan a la carte
gn chanpai (means "as on the menu") breakfast juchan lunch aan /
ghchan tea (meal) hah-gh-chh supper 13/19
mahnchan I want _____. _____. Ngh sung yiu _____. I want a dish
containing _____. _____. Ngh sung yiu yeuhng yuh _____. chicken gi
beef nguh fish yh ham ftui sausage hungchuhng cheese js eggs dan
salad slut (fresh) vegetables () (snsn) schoi (fresh) fruit ()
(snsn) sang'gw bread mihnbau toast ds noodles mihn rice faahn beans
du May I have a glass/cup of _____? G _____? H-mh-h'yi bi bi _____
ngh a? May I have a bottle of _____? G _____? H-mh-h'yi bi jun
_____ ngh a? coffee gaf tea (drink) chh juice 14/19
gwjp bubbly water yuh'hei sui water sui beer bju red/white wine
/ hhng/baahk ju May I have some _____? G _____? H-mh-h'yi bi d
_____ ngh a? salt yhm black pepper hkju butter nguhyuh Excuse me,
waiter? (getting attention of server) G . Sihying mh'gi. I'm
finished. . Sihkyhn gela. It was delicious. . Husihk Please clear
the plates. . Mh' gi bng ngh chng-hh jung ti. G The check, please.
G , . Maihdan, mh'gi.
BarsDo you serve alcohol? ? Nihdeih yuh-muh ju ym gah? Is there
table service? ? Yuh-muh sihying mai ti gah? A beer/two beers,
please. G / , . Yt/luhng bi bju, mh'gi. A glass of red/white wine,
please. G / , . Yt bi hhng/baahk ju, mh'gi. A pint, please. G pint,
. Yt pint, mh'gi. (" bn'tyut" is the corresponding word for "pint"
in Cantonese, but no one will use it in bars.) A bottle, please. G
, . Yt jun, mh'gi. 15/19
_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please. G __________, .
_____ thng _____, mh'gi. whiskey wisigi vodka fuhkdahkg rum lmju
water sui club soda sd sui tonic water tnglihk sui orange juice
changjp Coke (soda) hlohk Do you have any bar snacks? ? Nihdeih
yuh-muh susihk gah? One more (cup/bottle), please. G /, . Yiu d yt
bi/jun, mh'gi. When is closing time? ? Gidm sanmhn gaa? Cheers! !
Ymbi!
ShoppingDo you have this in my size? ? N gihn yuh-muh ngh go m
a? How much? ? Gid chn a? That's too expensive. . Taai gwai la.
Would you take _____? G _____? Su-mh-su _____ gah? expensive gwai
cheap phng I can't afford it. G . Ngh bi mh hi. 16/19
I don't want it. G . Ngh mh sung yiu. You're cheating me. . Nih
k gn ngh g. I'm not interested. . Ngh muh hing cheui. OK, I'll take
it. , . Hu, ngh yiu n gihn. Can I have a bag? G ? H-mh-h'yi bi go
di ngh a? Do you ship (overseas)? G ()? Nihdeih sung-mh-sung fo
(heui ngoihgwok) gah? I need... ... Ngh yiu ...toothpaste. .... ngh
gu. ...a toothbrush. .... ngh chaat. ...tampons. .... waihsng'gn.
...soap. .... fan'gan. ...shampoo. .... si'tuhsui. ...pain
reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) .... j'tung yeuhk. ...cold
medicine. .... gm'mouh yeuhk. ...stomach medicine. .... waih yeuhk.
...a razor. .... taisudu. ...an umbrella. .... j. ...sunblock
lotion. .... taaiyuhngyuh. ...a postcard. .... mhngseunpn.
...postage stamps. .... yuhpiu. ...batteries. .... dihnchh.
...writing paper. .... seunj. 17/19
...a pen. .... bt. ...English-language books. .... Yngmhn sy.
...English-language magazines. .... Yngmhn jaahpji. ...an
English-language newspaper. .... Yngmhn bouj. ...an English-English
dictionary. .... Yngyng jihdn.
DrivingI want to rent a car. . Ngh sung ju ch. Can I get
insurance? ? Bndouh h'yi maih bu hm gah? stop (on a street sign)
thng one way danchhnglouh yield yeuhng no parking btjun paakch
speed limit chkdouh haahnjai gas (petrol) station yuhjaahm petrol
heiyuh diesel chaihyuh
AuthorityI haven't done anything wrong. . Ngh muh jouh cho yh.
It was a misunderstanding. . Ginh sih haih ngh-wuih. Where are you
taking me? ? Nih daai ngh heui bn. Am I under arrest? 18/19
G ? Ngh haih-mh-haih bi yhn lai j a? I am an
American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. /// . Ngh haih
Mihgwok/Ouju/Yng'gwok/Gnhdaaih gngmhn. I want to talk to the
American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. /// /. Ngh
yiu wn Mihgwok/Ouju/Yng'gwok/ Gnhdaaih daaihsign/lhngsihgn. I want
to talk to a lawyer. . Ngh yiu wn leuhts. Can I just pay a fine
now? G ? H-mh-h'yi jauh gm faht chn?
19/19