Notice: This phrasebook will only introduceCantonese, Excluding local languages such as Chaoshan dialect and Hakka dialect. |
This entry is currently being expanded or substantially edited. If the entry has not been modified for several days, please remove this template. |
Cantonese(Jyutping: Gwong2dung1 waa2, Yale Romanization: Gwóngdūng wá) is specifically directed toChinaGuangdong ProvinceThe lingua franca in the province is the general term for Guangzhou’s urban dialect. This name is widely used inHongkong、Macao、Taiwan, Mainland China and overseas Chinese communities. In fact, Guangdong is a province with complex languages. Cantonese, Cantonese,Hakka、Hokkien, North Guangdong dialect,Military talkWaiting for language, butGuangzhouIt has always been the provincial capital of Guangdong Province. Its economy occupies an absolute advantage in the whole province. Coupled with the strong influence of Hong Kong culture, in the whole province of Guangdong, even Cantonese people who speak other Cantonese dialects can almost speak Cantonese. Chaoshan people and Hakkas who speak non-Cantonese dialects watched Cantonese TV stations in Hong Kong or Guangzhou, or went to study in the Cantonese area, so many younger generations can understand the simple daily communication skills of Cantonese, even Some can speak fluent Cantonese. Cantonese has a strong regional centripetal force. Therefore, Cantonese as a representative of Cantonese (Cantonese) has its historical inevitability and is recognized by the society.
In 2012, UNESCO announced Cantonese (Cantonese) Is a kind of language, on par with Mandarin.
Pronunciation guide
Initials
The number of Cantonese initials is relatively small, and most Cantonese dialects have around 20 initials. Most Cantonese (except Cantonese Cantonese) have tooth apex initials [ θ ] Or fricative initials [ ɬ ], the latter is also commonly found in Zhuang, Lingao, and Li languages. Some Cantonese dialects have implosive voiced sounds, and some have full voiced sounds at the same time, such as Gouchou dialect, Danzhou dialect, Pinghua dialect and so on. The fully voiced initials of Middle Chinese are mostly cleared in modern Cantonese. There are four main types of aspiration in the modern voiced consonants of the Middle Ages according to the ancient four tones:
- Aspirate in a flat voice, but not aspirate in a flat voice. likeWuzhou、Guangzhou、Nanning、QinzhouCantonese.
- Aspirate in flat, up, and in sounds, but not aspirate when going. likeGuigangCantonese.
- Never aspirate. likeYulin、He Street、QingtangCantonese.
- Always aspirate. Such as Lianzhou Cantonese.
The aspiration of the mid-era fully voiced initials in the modern pronunciation of plosives or affricates is one of the references for the classification of Cantonese dialects. All voiced consonants in the Middle Ages cannot read aspirated and unvoiced sounds, including Goouou dialects and Pinghua dialects; all voiced consonants in the Middle Ages are pronounced aspirated and unvoiced, mainlyWu Huadialect;CantonDialects, Siyi dialects, and Gaoyang dialects are aspirated when reading the words on Yangping and Yang today, but not when reading the words in Yangqiyanglu.
In Cantonese, most of the middle and ancient initials of the initials are now read[m-], Is the most developed dialect area in Chinese dialects with the phenomenon of micromu preservation.
In Cantonese, the middle ancient suppertonous sounds are not preserved at all, but now the Wu Min dialect still retains some tongue sounds. In particular, the Min dialect has been separated from centralized management for a long time, retaining most of the tongue consonants. Cantonese is not in line with the ancients' multi-lingualism. Some scholars believe that it is necessary to clarify the process of Cantonese being officialized in ancient times.
labial | Cusp | Hard palatal | Velar | Glottis | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
standard | Sibilant | standard | Lipization | |||||
nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||||
Stop | standard | p | t | t͡s | k | kʷ ¹ | (ʔ) ² | |
aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | t͡sʰ | kʰ | kʷʰ ¹ | |||
No sibilant | f | s | h | |||||
Near tone | l | j ¹ | w ¹ |
Vowel
vowel
Cantonese has the opposite phenomenon of long and short vowel a. Some works mark the long and short a as /aː/ with /ɐ/, But some people think that there is a difference in sound value between the long a and the short a, and therefore question the opposing view of the long and short vowels in Cantonese. The phenomenon of the opposition between long and short vowels in Cantonese is essentially the same as the phenomenon of opposition between long and short vowels in Zhuang.
Rhyme end
Cantonese contains [p̚]、[t̚]、[k̚]、[n]、[m]、[ŋ]6 types of consonant rhyme endings, the first three are provoking endings, and the last three are nasal endings; in addition, various Cantonese phonetic schemes also use the second vowel of the compound vowel as [i]、[u]、[y] And so on as a vowel ending.
Tone system
Cantonese generally has 8 to 10 tones.ZhongshanShiqiCantonese is the least among all Cantonese, and only 6 because of its special indiscriminate upper and lower sounds;DongguanCantonese is second with only 8; most Cantonese dialects have 9 tones; Goouhou Cantonese and Pinghua dialects have 10 tones. Standard Cantonese has 9 tones and 6 to 7 fixed tones. According to the naming method of "Ping up to enter", the names of these 9 tones are: Yinping, Yangping, Yinshang, Yangshang, Yinqi, Yangqi, Shang Yin enters, lower Yin enters, and Yang enters. Among them, "xiayin enter" is differentiated from "yin enter" according to the short and long vowels. Some Cantonese dialects "Yanglu" are also divided into two according to the short and long vowels. The Yanglu is separated from the Yanglu, and there are a total of four fixed tones, such as Goouou Cantonese and Siyi Cantonese. About the pronunciation and spelling of Cantonese.
There are some fixed tone sandhi in Cantonese vocabulary and speech stream, such as the word "Ju", which will be pronounced as an uplifted inflection with a tone value of 35 at the end of the word, which does not belong to any of the fixed tones. Therefore, if the tone sandhi is counted, the number of tones in Cantonese can usually reach 14 to 15 (tones generally refer to the fixed tones in the recitation of a single character, and the tone sandhi is not counted).
Tone name | Yinping | Overcast | Overcast | Hinata | Yang Shang | Yang go | Upper yin (Short Yin in) | Lower yin (Changyin into) | Yang Enter |
Tonal value | 55/53 | 35 | 33 | 21/11 | 13 | 22 | 55 | 33 | 22 |
Examples of Chinese characters | Minute | pink | Train | burn | Enthusiasm | share | suddenly | send | Buddha |
three | Nine | Four | zero | five | two | seven | Eight | six | |
Representative number | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 (1) | 8 (3) | 9 (6) |
Cantonese Pinyin | fan1 | fan2 | fan3 | fan4 | fan5 | fan6 | fat1 | faat3 | fat6 |
Cantonese dialect | Yin into | Yang Enter | ||
Upper yin (Short vowel) | Lower yin (Long vowel) | Shangyang (Short vowel) | Xiayang (Long vowel) | |
DongguanGuancheng Dialect | 4 | 3 | ||
LingshanCounty vernacular | 55 | 22 | ||
ZhongshanShiqi dialect | 55 | 33 | ||
GuangzhouVernacular (Standard Cantonese) | 55 | 33 | 22 | |
Yong XunCantonese | 55 | 33 | 22 | |
Zuojiangvernacular | 55 | 33 | 22 | |
ZuojiangPinghua | 55 | 33 | 35 | 22 |
FusuiLeading Pinghua | 55 | 33 | 22 | 13 |
BaiseNabi Ping | 55 | 33 | 22 | 24 |
Heng CountyCounty vernacular | 55 | 33 | 22 | 24 |
BinyangXinqiao Binyang Dialect | 55 | 33 | 22 | 52 |
BobaiCounty vernacular | 55 | 33 | 11 | 22 |
Yulinvernacular | 55 | 33 | 22 | 11 |
Quang Ninhvernacular | 55 | 33 | 22 | 214 |
Sihuivernacular | 55 | 33 | 22 | 213 |
Taishanvernacular | 55 | 33 | 21 | 32 |
Notes:
- The numbers in the table indicate the tones of the tones;
- Listed in the table are all single-character fixed tones, excluding tone sandhis (such as changes in the tone value of 35 in Cantonese vocabulary and speech flow);
- Source of information: "Proceedings of the 11th International Symposium on Cantonese Dialects"
Pitch change
Tonal changes in Cantonese are divided into continuous tone changes and morpho-phonemic changes. It mainly occurs in compound words or repetitive words. Generally speaking, the second syllable in the low range (mainly low falling tone) will be converted to high rising tone.
- Continuous tone sandhi: no semantic or grammatical changes occur.
- Family name, such as: Dad (baa4 baa1), mother (maa4 maa1), younger brother (dai4 dai2), wife (taai3 taai2)
- The joint word "A-" which expresses intimacy and the common name "Old-", such as: Ah Chen (aa3 can2) Vs Chen (can4), Lao Xie (lou5 ze2) Vs Xie (ze6)
- English words appear in spoken language, such as: Fanny (fan1 ni2); Sometimes there may be high flat tone, such as: Yan comb (yin3 so1, insurance)
- Words that appear in daily life, such as: Qianmen (cin4 mun2), glasses (ngaan5 geng2), fried dough sticks (jau3 tiu2), salted fish (haam4 jyu2), the year before (cin4 nin2), park (gung1 jyun2), probably (daai6 koi3)
- In Cantonese, "咗" is sometimes omitted and the tone affects forward, such as: Shi (咗) Fanwei? (sik2 faan6 mei6 a3, have you eaten yet? )
- When forming a compound language, the middle and flat tone, low-rising tone, and low-flat tone will also have tones to achieve grammatical functions, such as: shadow phase (jing2 soeng2) Vs photo (soeng3 pin2), enthusiasts (faat3 siu1 jau2) Vs friends (pang4 jau5)
- In the compound language of the form of "verb-target language", the target language nouns have tonal changes, and the meaning of the compound language may often undergo unpredictable changes, such as: Do night (zou3 je2, Night duty), meeting (hoi1 wui2), walking (zau2 lou2, Escape)
- There are also examples of completely unpredictable tone sandhi: telling jokes (gong2 siu3 wa2) Vs speak big words (gong2 daai6 wa6, Lying), music line (kam4 hong2) Vs bank (ngan4 hong4)
- Utterance: There will be changes in semantics or grammar.
- AAB type repetitive words, such as: 立立乱 (laap6 laap2 lyun6, messy)
- Repetitive adjectives, verbs with "哋" added, or repetitive sound words, such as; red red 哋 (hung4 hung2dei2, A little red), Mingming (ming4 ming2dei2, Some understanding), □□ sound (sa4 sa2 seng1, the sound of rain)
- Indicates short-term or short-term repetition of verbs, especially repetitive words that omit "一 jat1", and the sound changes at the beginning of the word, such as: try (si2 si3, give it a try), ask (man2 man6, just ask)
- Same as above, the repetitive words of "adjective + "一" + adjective" omit the "一" in the middle, such as: Pingping (peng4 peng1, very cheap), sweet (tim4 tim2, very sweet)
- There is also a similar omission of ""一" + noun + "一" + noun", such as: a sentence (jat1 geoi2 geoi3, sentence by sentence)
- Nouns keep their original tone when used as container measure words, such as: a box of chocolate (jat1 hap3 zyu1 gu1 lik1, a box of chocolates) vs this box (ni1 go3 hap2, This box)
List of Conversational Terms
Basic terms
Common signs
|
Pinyin used belowCantonese Yale Pinyin. The pronunciation of Yale Pinyin is relatively European and American, and cannot be pronounced completely according to the habit. Mandarin speakers are prone to make mistakes. There is no difference between [œː] and [ɵ]. It is used in a wider range of occasions.
- Hello. /Hello.
- Hi. (Néih hóu. )
- Are you OK?
- Are you OK? ( Néih hóu ma? )
- fine thanks.
- Okay, thank you very much. (Hóu hóu, Dōjeh. )
- What is your name?
- What's your name? ( Léih giu māt'yéh mèhng a? )
- my name is______.
- My name is ______. ( Ngóh go mèhng giu ______. )
- happy to see you.
- Fortunately. ( Hahng'wúih. )
- thanks.
- Thanks a lot. /Wugai sun. ( dō jeh./ m̀h gōi saai. )
- You're welcome.
- You are welcome. ( m̀h sái haak hei. )
- Yes.
- Tie. ( haih. )
- no.
- It's not. ( m̀h haih. )
- Excuse me. (Get attention)
- Shouldn't you ask. ( m̀h gōi mahn hah. )
- excuse me. /Excuse me. (ask for forgiveness)
- Excuse me. /excuse me. ( m̀h gōi./ m̀h hóu yi si. )
- sorry.
- Excuse me. /excuse me. ( deui m̀h jyuh./ m̀h hóu yi si. )
- goodbye.
- goodbye. ( joi gin )
- goodbye. (Informal)
- Bye Bye. ( Bye Bye )
- I can not say……
- I don’t know how to say... ( ngóh m̀h sīk góng... )
- I do not understand
- I don't know ( ngóh tīng m̀h mìhng )
- Do you speak Mandarin/Mandarin?
- Do you know how to speak Mandarin/Mandarin? ( néih sīk m̀h sīk góng gwok yúh/ póu tūng wá? )
- Does anyone here speak Mandarin/Mandarin?
- Does anyone know how to speak Mandarin/Mandarin? ( nī douh yáuh móuh yàhn sīk góng gwok yúh/ póu tūng wá? )
- Help!
- Help! ( gau mehng! )
- help me!
- Help me! ( bōng hah ngóh! )
- Beware!
- Live! /Because live! ( tái jyuh!/ yān jyuh!)
- Good morning.
- morning. ( jóu sàhn. )
- good afternoon.
- good afternoon. ( ńgh ōn. )
- Good night.
- Good morning. ( jóu táu. )
- I do not understand.
- I don't know. ( ngóh m̀h mìhng. )
- Where is the toilet?
- Is there a toilet in Bindu? ( bīn douh yáuh chi só? )
problem
- Do not bother me.
- Don't mess with me. ( m̀h hóu gáau ngóh. )
- Do not touch me!
- Don't pick me up! /Why don't you call me! ( m̀h hóu dīm ngóh!/ m̀h hóu yūk ngóh!)
- I am going to the police.
- I want to call the police! ( ngóh yiu bou gíng la! )
- police!
- police! (Gíng chaat!)/A Sir! (Ah Se!)
- stop! There is a thief!
- stop! There are thieves! ( tìhng sáu! yáuh chaak jái! )
- I need your help.
- Shouldn't you help scare me. ( m̀h gōi néih bōng háh ngóh ā. )
- It's an emergency.
- This is an emergency. ( nī go haih gán gāp chìhng fong )
- I'm lost.
- I lost my way. ( ngóh dohng sāt jó louh ā. )
- My bag is lost.
- I don’t see a bag. ( ngóh m̀h gin jó go dói ā. )
- I lost my wallet.
- I don’t see wallets. ( ngóh m̀h gin jó ngàhn bāau ā. )
- I feel uncomfortable.
- I feel uncomfortable. ( ngóh gok dāk m̀h syū fuhk. )
- I'm injured.
- I was hurt. ( ngóh sauh jó sēung. )
- I need a doctor.
- I want a doctor. ( ngóh yiu yī sāng. )
- Can I borrow your phone?
- Can I borrow your phone? ( hó m̀h hó yíh je néih bouh dihn wá làih yuhng hah? )
number
Pinyin used belowCantonese Pinyin Plan。
- 1
- one (jat1)
- 2
- two (ji6)
- 3
- three (saam1 saam3)
- 4
- Four (sei3 si3)
- 5
- five (ng5)
- 6
- six (luk6)
- 7
- seven (cat1)
- 8
- Eight (baat3)
- 9
- Nine (gau2)
- 10
- ten (sap6)
- 11
- eleven (sap6 jat1)
- 12
- twelve (sap6 ji6)
- 13
- Thirteen (sap6 saam1)
- 14
- fourteen (sap6 sei3)
- 15
- fifteen (sap6 ng5)
- 16
- Sixteen (sap6 luk6)
- 17
- Seventeen (sap6 cat1)
- 18
- eighteen (sap6 baat3)
- 19
- nineteen (sap6 gau2)
- 20
- twenty (ji6 sap6)
- 21
- Twenty one (jaa6 jat1)
- 22
- Twenty two (jaa6 ji6)
- 23
- Twenty-three (jaa6 saam1)
- 30
- thirty (saam1 sap6)
- 40
- forty (sei3 sap6)
- 50
- Fifty (ng5 sap6)
- 60
- Sixty (luk6 sap6)
- 70
- Seventy (cat1 sap6)
- 80
- eighty (baat3 sap6)
- 90
- ninety (gau2 sap6)
- 100
- one hundred (jat1 baak3)
- 200
- Two hundred (ji6 baak3)
- 300
- Three hundred (saam1 baak3)
- 1,000
- one thousand (jat1 cin1)
- 2,000
- Two thousand (ji6 cin1)
- 1,000,000
- one million (jat1 baak3 maan6)
- 1,000,000,000
- Billion (sap6 jik1)
- 1,000,000,000,000
- One trillion (jat1 siu6)
- Line/Number_____ (train, subway, bus, etc.)
- _____No(_____hou6)
- half
- half(jat1 bun3)
- less than
- Less than (siu2 gwo3)
- more than
- more than(do1 gwo3)
time
- now
- And home (ji4 gaa1)
- Later
- Later (zi1 hau6)
- Before
- Before(zi1 cin4)
- Morning/morning
- Morning (ziu1 zou2)/Sunday (soeng6 zau3)
- afternoon
- Next day (haa6 zau3)
- evening
- Stay late (aai1 maan1)
- night(Before going to bed)
- Late night (maan5 hak1)
Clock time
- 9 o'clock in the morning
- Nine o'clock in the morning (ziu1 zou2 gau2 dim2)
- 10 o'clock in the morning
- Ten o'clock in the morning (soeng6 zau3 sap6 dim2)
- noon
- noon(zung1 ng5)
- 3pm
- Three o'clock next day (haa6 zau3 saam1 dim2)
- 4 o'clock in the evening
- It's four o'clock late (aai1 maan1 sei3 dim2)
- midnight
- Early morning (ling4 san4)
period
Pinyin used belowCantonese Yale Pinyin. The pronunciation of Yale Pinyin is relatively European and American, and it cannot be pronounced completely according to habits. Mandarin speakers are prone to make mistakes. There is no difference between [œː] and [ɵ].
- _____Minute
- ( _____ fān/fahn )
- _____Hour
- _____ clocks/_____ granular clocks ( _____ go jūng/_____ lāp jūng )
- _____sky
- __day( __ yaht )
- _____week
- __Week/__week ( __ sīng kèih/__ láih baai)
- _____moon
- __moon ( __ yuht )
- _____year
- __year ( __ nìhn )
day
Pinyin used belowCantonese Pinyin Plan。
- now
- And home (ji4 gaa1)
- Nowadays
- Today (gam1 jat6)
- yesterday
- Qin Day (kam4 jat6)
- tomorrow
- Listening day (ting1 jat6)
- This week
- This week/this week (gam1 go3 lai5 baai3/ gam1 go3 sing1 kei4)
- Last week
- Last week/last week (soeng6 go3 lai5 baai3/ soeng6 go3 sing1 kei4)
- next week
- Next week/next week (haa6 go3 lai5 baai3/ haa6 go3 sing1 kei4)
- Sunday
- Sunday (sing1 kei4 jat6)
- Monday
- Monday (sing1 kei4 jat1)
- Tuesday
- Tuesday (sing1 kei4 ji6)
- Wednesday
- Wednesday (sing1 kei4 saam1)
- Thursday
- Thursday (sing1 kei4 sei3)
- Friday
- Friday (sing1 kei4 ng5 )
- Saturday
- Saturday (sing1 kei4 luk6)
moon
Western calendar
- January
- January (jat1 jyut6)
- February
- February (ji6 jyut6)
- March
- March (saam1 jyut6)
- April
- April (sei3 jyut6)
- May
- May (ng5 jyut6)
- June
- June (luk6 jyut6)
- July
- July (cat1 jyut6)
- August
- August (baat3 jyut6)
- September
- September (gau2 jyut6)
- October
- October (sap6 jyut6)
- November
- November (sap6 jat1 jyut6)
- December
- December (sap6 ji6 jyut6)
lunar calendar
- New year
- First month (zing3 jyut6)
- Winter moon
- Winter Moon (dung1 jyut6)
- Twelfth lunar month
- Twelfth lunar month (laap6 jyut6)
Write time and date
colour
- black
- black( hak1 sik1 )
- White
- White( baak6 sik1 )
- Ash
- grey( fui1 sik1 )
- Red
- Red( hung4 sik1 )
- Blue
- blue(laam4 sik1)
- yellow
- yellow( wong4 sik1)
- Orange
- Orange ( caang2 sik1 )
- Orange
- green( luk6 sik1 )
- purple
- Purple( zi2 sik1 )
- Brown
- Brown ( fe1 sik1 )
transportation
Mainland Chinese | Hong Kong and Macau terms | Taiwanese | Ma Xin Glossary | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bicycle / Bicycle / Bicycle | bicycle | Bicycle / Bicycle / Bicycle / Iron Horse (Taiwanese) / Kongming Car (Taiwanese) | Bicycle / Bicycle | Bicycle / Bike |
motorcycle | Motorcycle | Locomotive / Motorcycle | Motorcycle/Motorcycle/Motorcycle | Motorcycle |
Bus / bus / bus | Bus | Bus / Bus (Taiwanese) | Bus | Bus |
Long-distance bus / long-distance bus | Passenger transport | Intercity Bus | Coach | |
Boarding / boarding | Ride | Take a ride | Ride | Ride |
Taxi / taxi / taxi | Take a taxi | Take a taxi | Taxi | Take a taxi |
Taxi / Taxi / Taxi | Taxi | Taxi / Little Yellow | Taxi | Taxi |
subway | subway | MRT | subway | Metro / Underground / MTR / MRT |
Enter the ticket gate | Enter the gate | Enter the ticket gate | Enter the ticket gate | Enter the gate |
overtake | Pa Tou | overtake | Cut car | Overtake |
Change ticket | Sing loose paper | Change | Change | |
anchor | Dead fire | anchor | anchor | Anchor |
First gear | A wave | First gear | First gear | First gear |
Passenger car and train
- How much is a ticket to _____?
- How much is a Fare to _____? (jat1 zoeng1 heoi3_____ ge3 fei1 gei2 cin4?)
- A ticket to ..., please.
- Don't let me go to _____ to fly me. (m4 goi1 bei2 jat1 zoeng1 heoi3_____ ge3 fei1 ngo5.)
- Where does this train/bus go?
- Is the train/bus going to Bindu? (ni1 gaa3 fo2 ce1/ baa1 si2 hai6 heoi3 bin1 dou6 gaa3?)
- Where is the train/bus to _____?
- Which car is going to _____? (heoi3_____ ge3 ce1 hai6 bin1?)
- Does this train/bus stop at _____?
- Does the car stop _____? (ni1 gaa3 ce1 ting4 m4 ting4_____?)
- What time does the train/bus to _____ leave?
- When does the car go to _____? (heoi3_____ ge3 ce1 gei2 si4 hoi1?)
- When can this train/bus arrive at _____?
- When will the truck arrive _____? (gaa3 ce1 gei2 si4 dou3_____?)
position
- How do I get to _____?
- Click to _____? (dim2 heoi3_____?)
- ...train station?
- ...Train station/railway station (...fo2 ce1 zaam6/ tit3 lou6 zaam6)
- ...subway station?
- ...subway station(... dei6 tit3 zaam)
- ...(LONG distance BUS STOP?
- ...Bus station/long-distance bus station/long-distance bus station/long-distance bus station? (... hei3 ce1 zaam6/ coeng4 tou4 hei3 ce1 zaam6/ coeng4 tou4 daai6 baa1 zaam6/ coeng4 tou4 baa1 si2 zaam6?)
- ...bus stop?
- ...bus station? (... baa1 si2 zaam6?)
- ...Airport?
- ...Airport? (... gei1 coeng4?)
- ...city center?
- ...city center? (... si5 zung1 sam1?)
- ...Youth hostel?
- ...Youth hostel? (... ceng1 nin4 leoi5 se3?)
- ..._____hostel?
- ..._____hostel? (..._____ leoi5 gun2?)
- ...Macau/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore/Chinese Embassy/Office?
- ...Macao/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore/Chinese Embassies/Consulates/Offices (... ou3 mun2/ toi4 waan1/ hoeng1 gong2/ san1 gaa3 po1/ zung1 gwok3 s3 ling5/leng2 gun2/ baan6 si6 cyu2)
- Where are there more...
- How much... (bin1 dou6 do1 di1...)
- ...hostel?
- ...hostel? (... leoi5 gun2?)
- ...Restaurant?
- ...Dinning room? (... caan1 teng1?)
- ...bar?
- ...bar? (... zau2 baa6?)
- ...Sightseeing spots?
- ... tourist attractions? (... leoi5 jau4 ging2 dim2?)
- Can you show me on the map?
- Can you point me to the map on the map? (ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 hai2 dei6 tou4 zi2 bei2 ngo5 tai2?)
- Street
- Street (gaai1)
- Turn left.
- turn left. (zyun3 zo2.)
- Turn right.
- turn right. (zyun3 jau6.)
- Left
- Left (zo2)
- right
- Right (jau6)
- straight
- Go straight (zik6 haang4)
- near_____
- near (zip3 gan6)
- go through_____
- go through_____ (ging1 gwo3_____)
- Before _____
- Before _____ (hai6_____zi1 cin4)
- Please note_____.
- Pay attention to _____ (lau4 sam1_____)
- crossroads
- Crossroads (sap6 zi6 lou6 hau2)
- North
- North (bak1)
- South
- South (naam4)
- East
- East (dung1)
- West
- West (sai1)
- Uphill
- Incline (soeng6 ce4)
- downhill
- Falling oblique (lok6 ce4)
taxi
- taxi!
- Taxi! (dik1 si2!)
- Please take me to _____.
- Shouldn't you send me to _____. (m4 goi1 sung3 ngo5 heoi3_____.)
- How much is it to _____?
- How much is it to _____? (heoi3_____ gei2 do1 cin2?)
- Please take me there.
- Shouldn't you send me to 嗰度. (m4 goi1 sung3 ngo5 heoi3 go2 dou6.)
stay
- Do you have any rooms available?
- Are there any vacancies/good houses in your place? (nei5 dei6 jau5 mou4 hung1/gat1 fong2?)
- How much is a single/double room?
- How much is a single/double room? (daan1/ soeng1 jan4 fong2 gei2 do1 cin2?)
- The room has...
- Is there any room entrance... (fong4 jap6 min6 jau5 mou4...)
- ...The sheets?
- ...sheet? (...cong4 daan1?)
- ...To the toilet?
- ...toilet? (...ci3 so2?)
- ...Phone?
- ...telephone? (... din6 waa2?)
- ...TV?
- ...television? (... din6 si6?)
- Can I take a look at the room first?
- Can I watch the next room first? (ngo5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 tai2 haa5 gaan1 fong2 sin1?)
- Is there a quieter room?
- Is there a quiet room? (jau5 mou4 zing6 di1 gei3 fong2?)
- ...Bigger...
- ...Big 啲... (... daai6 di1...)
- ...Cleaner...
- ...Clean...(... gon1 zing6 di1...)
- ...cheaper...
- ...Ping... (... peng4 di1...)
- Okay, I want this room.
- Okay, I want a room. (hou2, ngo5 jiu3 ni1 gaan1 fong4/fong2 laa3.)
- I stay _____ night.
- I stay _____ night. (ngo5 zyu6_____ maan5.)
- Can you recommend another hotel?
- Is there a second hotel introduced? (jau5 mou4 dai6 ji6 gaan3 leoi5 gun2 gaai3 siu6?)
- Do you have a safe?
- Do you have a safe? (nei5 dei6 jau5 mou4 bou2 him2 soeng1?)
- ...A locker?
- ...Locker? (... cyu5 mat6 gwai6?)
- Does it include breakfast/dinner?
- Do you include breakfast/dinner? (baau1 m4 baau1 zou2 caan1/ maan5 caan1?)
- What time is breakfast/dinner?
- What time does breakfast/dinner start? (zou2 caan1/ maan5 caan1 gei2 dim2 hoi1 ci2?)
- Please clean up the room.
- Shouldn't I hold a room for me. (m4 goi1 bong1 ngo5 zap1 jat1 zap1 gaan1 fong2.)
- Can you wake me up at _____?
- Can you please _____ to get me up? (ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 hai6_____ dim2 giu3 ngo5 hei2 san1?)
- I want to check out.
- Well, check out. (m4 goi1, teoi3 fong2 (spoken language)/fong4 (positive tone).)
currency
- Can MOP/HKD/Renminbi/Singapore Dollar/New Taiwan Dollar be used?
- Can I use Macau paper/Hong Kong paper/RMB/Singapore dollar/New Taiwan dollar? (ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 jung6 ou3 mun2 zi2/ gong2 zi2/ jan4 man4 bai6/ san1 gaa3 po1 jyun4/ san1 toi4 bai6?)
- Can USD/EUR/GBP be used?
- Can you use USD/EUR/GBP? (ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 jung6 mei5 jyun4/ au1 jyun4/ jing1 bong6?)
- Can RMB be used?
- Can you use RMB? (ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 jung6 jan4 man4 bai6?)
- Can I use a credit card?
- Can I use a credit card? (ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 jung6 seon3 jung6 kaat1?)
- Can you exchange foreign currency for me?
- Can you sing money with me? (ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 tung4 ngo5 coeng3 cin2?)
- Where can I exchange foreign currency?
- Can Biandu sing for money? (bin1 dou6 ho2 ji5 coeng3 cin2?)
- Can you exchange traveler's checks for me?
- Can you enter a traveler's check with me? (ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 tung4 ngo5 jap6 zoeng1 leoi5 hang4 zi1 piu3?)
- Where can I redeem traveler’s cheques?
- Can Biandu be included in traveler's checks? (bin1 dou6 ho2 ji5 jap6 leoi5 hang4 zi1 piu3?)
- What's the exchange rate?
- What's the exchange rate? (wui6 leot2 gei2 do1?)
- Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?
- Does Biandu have a teller machine? (bin1 dou6 jau5 gwai6 jyun4 gei1?)
Dining
- One-person/two-person table, thank you.
- One-person/two-person platform, shouldn't it. (jat1 jan4/ loeng5 jan4 toi2 (spoken language)/toi4 (positive tone) aa1, m4 goi1.)
- Can I see the menu?
- I am frightened by the dish card, but I shouldn't. (bei2 zoeng1 coi3 paai2 ngo5 tai2 haa5, m4 goi1.)
- Can I go into the kitchen and have a look?
- Can I go into the kitchen and watch? (ngo5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 jap6 cyu4 fong2 tai2 haa5?)
- Do you have any signature dishes?
- Do you have a signature dish? (nei5 dei6 jau5 me1 ziu1 paai4 coi3?)
- Do you have any local specialties?
- Do you have a special recommendation? (nei5 dei6 jau5 me1 dak6 sik1 teoi1 gaai3?)
- I am a vegetarian.
- I eat fast. (ngo5 sik6 zaai1 ge3.)
- I don't eat pork.
- I don't eat pork. (ngo5 m4 sik6 zyu1 juk6.)
- I don't eat beef.
- I don't eat beef. (ngo5 m4 sik6 ngau4 juk6.)
- I only eat kosher food.
- I eat kosher food. (ngo5 zing6 hai6 sik6 jau4 taai3 gaau3 sik6 mat6.)
- Can you make it lighter? (Require less vegetable oil/butter/lard)
- Can it be cleaned up? (Require less vegetable oil/butter/lard)(ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 cing1 di1? ( jiu1 kau4 siu2/siu3 baai2 zik6 mat6 jau4/ wong4 jau4/jau2/ zyu1 jau4/jau2))
- Fixed price package
- Priced package (biu1 gaa3 tou3 caan1)
- Order according to the menu
- Short bid (saan3 giu3)
- breakfast
- breakfast (zou2 caan1)
- Lunch
- Lunch (ng5 caan1)
- afternoon tea
- afternoon tea (haa6 ng5 caa4)
- dinner
- dinner (maan5 caan1)
- I want_____.
- I need to_____. (ngo5 jiu3_____.)
- I want dishes with _____.
- I want to have _____ dishes. (ngo5 jiu3 jau5_____ ge3 coi3.)
- chicken
- chicken (gai1 juk6)
- beef
- beef (ngau4 juk6)
- fish
- fish(jyu4/jyu2)
- Ham
- Ham (fo2 teoi2)
- sausage
- sausage (hoeng1 coeng2)
- cheese
- Cheese (zi1 si6/si2)
- egg
- egg (gai1 daan2)
- salad
- Salad (saa1 leot2)
- (fresh vegetables
- (fresh vegetables ((san1 sin1) so1 coi3)
- (fresh fruits
- (Fresh) fruit ((san1 sin1) saang1 gwo2)
- bread
- bread (min6 baau1)
- Toast
- Toast (do1 si2)
- Noodle
- noodle (min6)
- rice
- Rice (baak6 faan6)
- beans
- bean (dau6)
- Can you give me a glass _____?
- Sure, I want a cup of _____. (m4 goi1 jiu3 bui1_____.)
- Can you give me a glass of _____?
- Sure, I want a cup of _____. (m4 goi1 jiu3 bui1_____.)
- Can you give me a bottle of _____?
- Excuse me, I want to bottle _____. (m4 goi1 jiu3 zeon1_____.)
- coffee
- coffee (gaa3 fe1)
- Tea
- Tea (caa4)
- juice
- juice (gwo2 zap1)
- (Bubbles) water
- Soda (hei3 seoi2)
- (Normal) water
- Shimizu (cing1 seoi2)
- (Normal) warm water
- Warm water (nyun5 seoi2)
- beer
- beer (be1 zau2)
- Red/white wine
- Red/white wine (hung4/ baak6 zau2)
- Can you give me some _____?
- Can you just _____? (ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 bei2 di1_____?)
- Salt
- Salt (jim4)
- Black pepper
- Black pepper (hak1 ziu1)
- butter
- Butter (ngau4 jau4)
- Is there water? (Get the attention of the waiter)
- Is there any water? (Get the buddy's attention) jau5 mou4 seoi2? ( wok6 dak1 fo2 gai3 dik1 lau4 ji3)
- I'm finished.
- I finished eating. (ngo5 sik6 jyun4 laa3.)
- Really delicious.
- It tastes so good. (hou2 hou2 mei6 aa1.)
- Please clean up these plates.
- Excuse me, can you help me take away the bowl/dish. (m4 goi1, ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 bong1 ngo5 zap1 zau2 ni1 di1 wun2/ dip6.)
- Please clean up this table.
- Excuse me, the helper is on the stage. (m4 goi1, bong1 sau2 zap1 toi4 aa1.)
- Pay the bill.
- Pay the bill. (maai4 daan1.)
bar
- Do you sell alcohol?
- Is there any wine for sale? (jau5 mou4 zau2 maai6?)
- A glass of beer or two, please.
- Shouldn't it be a glass of beer or two. (m4 goi1 jat1/ loeng5 bui1 be1 zau2.)
- Please have a glass of red/white wine.
- Shouldn't a glass of red wine/white wine/wine. (m4 goi1 jat1 bui1 hung4 zau2/ baak6 zau2/ pou4 tou4 zau2.)
- Please have a bottle.
- Shouldn't it be a bottle. (m4 goi1 jat1 zeon1.)
- cocktail
- Cocktail/Cocktail (gai1 mei5 zau2/ gok1 de1/ Cocktail)
- whisky
- Whiskey / Whisky (wai1 si6 gei6/ Whisky)
- Vodka
- Vodka / Vodka (fuk6 dak6 gaa1/ Vodka)
- rum
- 冧酒/Rum (lam3 zau2/ Rum)
- water
- water (seoi2)
- soda water
- Soda water / Dutch water / carbonated water (so1 daa2 seoi2/ ho4 laan1 seoi2/ taan3 syun1 seoi2)
- Tonic Water
- Tang Nishui (tong1 nik1/nei1 seoi2)
- Orange juice (non-orange soda/Orange Squash)
- Orange juice (caang2 zap1)
- Cola(Soda)
- Cola(Soda) (ho2 lok6 (hei3 seoi2) )
- Do you have any snacks?
- Do you have any snacks? (nei5 dei6 jau5 mat1 je5 siu2 sik6 aa1?)
- Please have another glass.
- More glasses. (zoi3 lai4 do1 bui1.)
- Please have another round.
- Turn around again. (zoi3 lai4 jat1 zyun3.)
- When does business end?
- What time does it take? (sau1 gei2 dim2?)
- cheers!
- Drink wins! (jam2 sing3!)
Shopping
- Do you have the size I wear?
- Is there a size for me? (jau5 mou4 ngo5 go3 Size?)
- how much is this?
- How much is it? (ni1 go3 gei2 do1 cin2 aa1?)
- That's too expensive.
- Too expensive. (taai3 gwai3 laa3.)
- You can accept_____(price)?
- _____ Can’t you get mosquitoes? (_____ man1 dak1 m4 dak1?)
- expensive
- So expensive (hou2 gwai3)
- Expensive (informal)
- Raleigh (laa3 lei6)
- Cheap
- So flat (hou2 peng4)
- I can not afford it.
- I can't buy it. (ngo5 maai5 m4 hei2.)
- I don't want it.
- I don't want it. (ngo5 m4 soeng2 jiu3.)
- You are deceiving me.
- You uh tight me. (nei5 aak1 gan2 ngo5.)
- I'm not interested in.
- I'm not interested. (ngo5 mou5 me1 hing3 ceoi3.)
- Okay, I bought it.
- I want it. (zau6 jiu3 ni1 go3.)
- Can you give me a bag?
- Shouldn't you ask for a bag. (m4 goi1 jiu3 go3 doi6/doi2.)
- Do you deliver goods (to overseas)?
- Do you want to deliver goods overseas? (sung3 m4 sung3 fo3 heoi3 hoi2 ngoi6?)
- I need to...
- I need to... (ngo5 seoi1 jiu3...)
- ...toothpaste.
- ...toothpaste. (...ngaa4 gou1.)
- ...A toothbrush.
- A tooth wipe. (jat1 zi1 ngaa4 caat3.)
- ...Sanitary napkins/sanitary napkins.
- Sanitary napkins/sanitary napkins. (wai6 sang1 gan1/ wai6 sang1 min4.)
- ...Sanitary napkins/sanitary napkins. (Informal)
- M towel. (M gan1.)
- ...Tampons.
- Sliver. (min4 tiu4.)
- ...Soap.
- Fanjian. (faan1 gaan2.)
- ...shampoo.
- Shampoo. (sai2 tau4 seoi2.)
- ...painkiller. (Such as aspirin or ibuprofen)
- painkiller. (E.g. Bilitong (acetaminophen), aspirin or ibuprofen) ( zi2 tung3 joek6.( lai6 jyu4 bit1 lei5 tung3( jyut3 hei1 on1 fan1), aa3 si1 pat1 lam4 waak6 bou3 lok3 fan1) )
- ...Cold medicine.
- ...Cold medicine. (...gam2 mou6 joek6.)
- ...Gastrointestinal medicine.
- ...Gastrointestinal medicine/intestinal pills. (... coeng4 wai6 joek6/ zing2 coeng4 jyun4.)
- ...An umbrella.
- A handful of cover. (jat1 baa2 ze1)
- ...Sunscreen.
- ...Sunscreen. (...fong4 saai3 soeng1.)
- ...A postcard.
- A famous letter. (jat1 zoeng1 ming4 seon3 pin2)
- ...A postcard. (Informal)
- A Postcard. (jat1 zoeng1 Postcard. )
- ...stamp.
- stamp. (din6 sam1.)
- ...Battery.
- Batteries. (seon3 zi2.)
- ...stationery.
- ...stationery. (...seon3 zi2.)
- ...A pen.
- ...A pen. (... jat1 zi1 bat1.)
- ...Chinese book.
- ...Chinese book. (... zung1 man4 syu1.)
- ...Chinese magazine.
- ...Chinese magazine. (... zung1 man4 zaap6 zi3.)
- ...A Chinese newspaper.
- ...A Chinese newspaper. (... jat1 fan6 zung1 man4 bou3 zi2.)
- ...A Chinese dictionary.
- ...A Chinese dictionary. (... jat1 bun2 zung1 man4 ci4 din2.)
drive
- I want to rent a car.
- I want to rent a car. (ngo5 soeng2 zou1 ce1)
- Can I get insurance?
- Do I have insurance? (ngo5 jau5 mou4 bou2 him2?)
- stop(Road sign)
- Stop low (ting4 dai1)
- one way lane
- one way lane (daan1 haang4 sin3)
- Yield
- Give Way (joeng6 lou6)
- No Parking
- No Parking (gam3 zi2 ting4 ce1 )
- Speed limit
- Speed limit (cuk1 dou6 haan6 zai3)
- Gas station
- Petrol station (jau4 zaam6)
- gasoline
- gasoline (hei3 jau4)
- diesel fuel
- diesel fuel (caai4 jau4)
authorities
- I did nothing bad.
- I have never been in decline. (ngo5 mou5 zou6 gwo3 seoi1 je5.)
- That is a misunderstanding.
- What's wrong with this department. (ni1 go3 hai6 ng6 wui6 zaa3.)
- Where are you taking me?
- Are you taking me to the side? (nei5 dei6 jiu3 daai3 ngo5 heoi3 bin1?)
- Am I arrested?
- Am I doing it? (ngo5 hai6 m4 hai6 bei2 jan4 laai1 zo2?)
- I am a citizen of Macau/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore/China.
- I am a citizen of Macau/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore/China. (ngo5 hai6 ou3 mun2/ toi4 waan1/ hoeng1 gong2/ san1 gaa3 po1/ zung1 gwok3 gung1 man4.)
- I want to contact Macau/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore/Chinese Embassy/Office.
- I want to contact Macau/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore/Chinese Embassy/Office. (ngo5 soeng2 lyun4 lok3 ou3 mun2/ toi4 waan1/ hoeng1 gong2/ san1 gaa3 po1/ zung1 gwok3 si2/sai2 ling5/leng2 gun2/ baan6 si6 cyu3.)
- I want to talk to a lawyer.
- I want to scare the lawyer. (ngo5 soeng2 tung4 leot6 si1 king1 haa5.)
- Can I just pay the fine now?
- Do I have to pay a fine? (ngo5 zing6 hai6 jiu3 gaau1 fat6 fun2)
service
Mainland Chinese | Hong Kong and Macau terms | Taiwanese | Ma Xin Glossary | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lady / miss | Miss | Miss | Miss | miss |
waiter | Waiter | Waiter/waitress | Waiter | waiter(ess) |
Police / Public Security | Police / messenger / security police (Macau) / police officer (Macau) | Police / Police | police | police |
other
Mainland Chinese | Hong Kong and Macau terms | Taiwanese | Ma Xin Glossary | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
new Zealand | New Zealand / New Zealand | New Zealand | New Zealand | New Zealand |
Italy | Italy | Italy | Italy | Italy |
North Korea / North Korea | North Korea / North Korea | North Korea | North Korea / North Korea | North Korea |
San Francisco | San Francisco | San Francisco | San Francisco | San Francisco |
Laser / Laser | Laser / Laser | Laser / Laser | Laser/Laser | laser |
Hard drive | Hard drive | Hard drive | Hard drive | hard disk |
software | software | software | software | software |
U Disk | USB finger | Flash drive | Flash drive | flash drive |
Run | implement | implement | Run/execute | run |
Mouse | mouse | mouse | mouse | mouse |
Laptop/laptop | Laptop | Laptop/notebook | Laptop/laptop | laptop |
Digital camera | Digital camera | Digital camera | Digital camera | digital camera |
Meter | Meter | Meters / meters | Meter | metre / meter |
inch | Inch / inch / inch | Inch / inch / inch | Inch | inch |