Cantonese (廣東話 Gwóngdūngwáh) is a widely spoken Chinese language. It is the local language in current use within the province of Guangdong, China, official language in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, as well as in the Special Administrative Region of Macau, and used in many overseas Chinese communities in South-East Asia and elsewhere, with Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) being two places where Cantonese is the dominant language in a Chinese community that is in turn huge and influential. Cantonese is also the dominant language in many Chinatowns all over the world, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Chicago, London, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Vancouver, Toronto, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The dialect of Chinese spoken by many inhabitants of eastern Guangxi Province in mainland China is often referred to as a form of Cantonese as well.

Chinese languages are mutually unintelligible, with difference ranging from that between Italian and French to that between English and Swedish, which we would call "related languages" rather than "dialects".

All Chinese dialects, in general, use the same set of characters in reading and writing in formal settings. A Cantonese speaker and a Mandarin speaker cannot talk to each other, but either can generally read what the other writes. However, there can be significant differences when the "dialects" are written in colloquial form. For example in Cantonese as used in Hong Kong, more informal phrasings are used in everyday speech than what would be written. Thus, some extra characters are sometimes used in addition to the common characters to represent the spoken dialect and other colloquial words.

There are different local languages in Guangdong that are sometimes considered Cantonese dialects but in fact are separate languages, such as Taishanese, spoken in Taishan in the far west of Guangdong. However, most people throughout Guangdong know how to speak standard Cantonese (Guangzhou dialect) and Hongkongers and Macanese speak standard Cantonese with slight influences from Western languages, especially from English in Hong Kong Cantonese. The Cantonese spoken in Singapore and Malaysia also differs slightly due to Malay influences.

Some of the phrases in the list are difficult to translate from English to Cantonese.

Pronunciation guide

The pronunciations given in this guidebook use the Yale Romanization system. Sounds can only be approximated at best. This guide gives a general indication of the correct sound to make, but the best way to be completely accurate is to listen closely to native speakers and to mimic the sounds they make. Unlike in Mandarin, there is no widely-used Romanization system for Cantonese, and native speakers almost never learn those that do exist. Since most locals will have no idea how to read Romanized Cantonese, Chinese characters is what you should stick to for written communication.

Consonants

Like Mandarin, Cantonese distinguish between aspirated and unaspirated consonants, not voiceless and voiced as in English. Aspirated sounds are pronounced with a distinctive puff of air as they are pronounced in English when at the beginning of a word, while unaspirated sounds are pronounced without the puff, as in English when found in clusters. However, Cantonese lacks the "tongue rolling" (pinyin zh, ch, sh, r) initial consonants that are found in Mandarin.

Yale	Pronunciation
b	p in "sport"
p	p as in "pat"
m	m as in "mom"
f	f as in "foot"
d	t in "stop"
t	t as in "top"
n	n as in "not"
l	l as in "lap". This is more like a rolling "r" sound, as in "ladder" or "butter", but it's a slide between d, t, l, and/or r.
g	k in "sky"
k	k as in "kite"
ng	ng as in "singer"
h	h as in "hot"
j	blend of the z in "Mozart" and the j in "judge"
ch	blend of the ts in "cats" and the ch in "church"
s	s as in "sleep"
gw	qu as in "square"
kw	qu as in "quark"
y	y as in "yard"
w	w as in "want"; otherwise, like English "v" in "victory"

Finals

Unlike Mandarin, Cantonese retains all the final consonants of middle (m, n, ŋ, p, t, and k) Chinese. The final consonants p, t, and k are unreleased. This means that they are virtually silent and you hear no "puff of air" at the end of the syllable.

Yale	Pronunciation
aa	a as in "spa"
aai	igh as in "sigh"
aau	ow as in "how"
aam	am as in "Vietnam"
aan	an as in "Taiwan"
aang	combination of aa and ng
aap	op as in "top" in General American, arp as in "tarp" in Received Pronunciation
aat	ot as in "hot"in General American, art as in "tart" in Received Pronunciation
aak	ock as in "rock"in General American, ark as in "bark" in Received Pronunciation
ai	i as in "kite"
au	ou as in "scout"
am	ome as in "some"; otherwise, like "am" in "ham".
an	un as in "sun". This can be pronounced like "an" in "man"
ang	ung as in "lung". This may sound like "ang" in "rang".
ap	up as in "cup". This can be pronounced like "ap" in "map".
at	ut as in "cut"; otherwise, like "at" in "cat".
ak	uc as in "suck"; otherwise, like "ack" in "back".
e	e as in "bet"
ei	ay as in "say"
em	em as in "temple"
eng	eng as in "penguin"
ek	eck as in "peck"
i	ee as in "tee"
iu	ew as in "few"
im	eem as in "seem"
in	een as in "seen"
ing	ing as in "sing"
ip	eep as in "sleep"
it	eet as in "meet"
ik	ick as in "sick"
o	aw as in "paw" (Received Pronunciation)
oi	oy as in "boy"
ou	oe as in "toe"
on	orn as in "scorn" (Received Pronunciation)
ong	ong as in "song" (Received Pronunciation)
ot	ot as in "hot" (Received Pronunciation)
ok	ock as in "stock" (Received Pronunciation)
u	oo as in "coo"
ui	ooey as in "gooey"
un	oon as in "soon"
ung	combination of ou and ng
ut	oot as in "boot"
uk	ook as in "book"
eu	er as in "her" (Received Pronunciation, with rounded lips)
eung	combination of eu and ng
euk	ork as in "work" (Received Pronunciation)
eui	o as in "no" (Received Pronunciation)
eun	on as in "person"
eut	ot as in "carrot"
yu	u as in "tu" (French)
yun	un as in "une" (French)
yut	Ut as in "Utah"
m	mm as in "hmm"
ng	ng as in "sing"

Tones

Cantonese is a tonal language. This means that the same syllable, pronounced in a different tone, has a different meaning. To complicate this, there may be more than one character pronounced as the same syllable with the same tone (though this is uncommon). In this case, context usually helps resolve the ambiguity. This may sound daunting, but is in fact is better than say, English, where there are a great deal of words that are spoken identically (eg. their, there, they're) and have nothing but context to help determine which one it is. Cantonese has context and tone to help distinguish words.

Different variations of the Cantonese dialect have a different number of tones, from as few as six to as many as ten or more. Most speakers, however, and all modern linguistic interpretations get by with being able to distinguish (both in spoken and heard Cantonese) between the following six tones:

	Yale	Description	Start-to-end pitch		Yale	Description	Start-to-end pitch
1	ā	High Level		4	àh	Low Falling
2	á	Mid Rising		5	áh	Low Rising
3	a	Mid Level		6	ah	Low Level

The tonal pronunciation of Cantonese is by far the most difficult aspect of the often daunting language. The very minor initial difficulty in learning the tones is sometimes more than made up for by simple grammar, and absence of almost all plurals, genders, tenses and forms that make many other world languages seem difficult by comparison.

Phrase list

Basics

To be or not to be? Cantonese, as in Chinese, does not have words for "yes" and "no" as such; instead, questions are typically answered by repeating the verb. Common ones include: To be or not to be 係 haih, 唔係 mh'haih To have or not have / there is or is not 有 yáuh, 冇 móuh To be right or wrong 啱 āam, 唔啱 mh'āam

Hello.

你好. Néih hóu.

How are you?

你好嗎? Néih hóu ma?

How are you recently? (more popular in daily usage)

近排點呀 Gahnpàaih dím a? (informal)

Fine.

幾好. Géi hóu. (No need to say "thank you" after answering "fine" in Cantonese)

What is your name?

你叫乜嘢名呀? Léih giu māt'yéh mèhng a?

What is your name (formal, literally means "How do I address you")?

請問點稱呼? Chíngmahn dím chīngfū?

My name is ______ .

我個名叫______. Ngóh go mèhng giu ______ .

Nice to meet you.

幸會. Hahng'wúih.

Please.

請. Chíng.

Thank you. (when someone helps you)

唔該. M̀h'gōi.

Thank you. (when someone gives you a gift)

多謝 Dōjeh.

You're welcome.

唔使客氣. M̀h'sái haak-hei.

Excuse me. (getting attention)

唔好意思. M̀h'hóu yisi

Excuse me. (to get past)

唔該. M̀h'gōi * or * M̀h'gōi jeje.

Sorry.

對唔住. Deui-m̀h-jyuh. (In Hong Kong, it's more common to use the English word "sorry" instead)

Goodbye

再見 Joigin. (In Hong Kong, "bye bye" is often used instead)

I can't speak Cantonese.

我唔識講廣東話. Ngóh m̀h'sīk góng Gwóngdōngwá.

Excuse me, do you speak English?

請問你識唔識講英文呀? Chíngmahn léih sīk-m̀h-sīk góng Yīngmán a?

Is there someone here who speaks English?

請問有冇人識講英文呀? Chíngmahn yáuhmóh yàhn sīk góng Yīngmán a?

Help!

救命呀! Gau mehng ā!

Look out!

小心! Síusām!

Good morning.

早晨. Jóusàhn.

I don't understand.

我唔明. Ngóh m̀h'mìhng.

Where is the toilet?

邊度有廁所? Bīndouh yáuh chi só?

Problems

Leave me alone.

唔好搞我. M̀h'hóu gáau ngóh.

Don't touch me!

唔好掂我! M̀h'hóu dihm ngóh!

I'll call the police.

我會叫警察. Ngóh wúih giu gíngchaat.

Police!

警察! Gíngchaat!

Stop! Thief!

咪走! 賊仔! Máih jáu! Chaahkjái!

Please help me.

唔該幫我. M̀h'gōi bōng ngóh.

It's an emergency.

好緊急. Hóu gán'gāp.

I'm lost.

我蕩失路. Ngóh dohngsāt louh.

I lost my bag.

我唔見咗個袋. Ngóh m̀h'gin jó go doih.

I dropped my wallet.

我跌咗個銀包. Ngóh dit jó go ngàhn bāau.

I don't feel well.

我唔舒服. Ngóh m̀h syūfuhk.

I've been injured.

我受咗傷. Ngóh sauh jó sēung.

Please call a doctor.

唔該幫我叫醫生. M̀h'gōi bōng ngóh giu yīsāng.

Can I use your phone?

可唔可以借個電話用呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi je go dihnwáh yuhng a?

Numbers

1

一 yāt

2

二 yih

3

三 sāam

4

四 sei

5

五 ńgh

6

六 luhk

7

七 chāt

8

八 baat

9

九 gáu

10

十 sahp

11

十一 sahpyāt

12

十二 sahpyih

13

十三 sahpsāam

14

十四 sahpsei

15

十五 sahpńgh

16

十六 sahpluhk

17

十七 sahpchāt

18

十八 sahpbaat

19

十九 sahpgáu

20

二十 yihsahp

21

二十一 yihsahpyāt

22

二十二 yihsahpyih

23

二十三 yihsahpsāam

30

三十 sāamsahp

40

四十 seisahp

50

五十 ńghsahp

60

六十 luhksahp

70

七十 chātsahp

80

八十 baatsahp

90

九十 gáusahp

100

一百 yātbaak

200

二百 yihbaak

300

三百 sāambaak

1000

一千 yātchīn

2000

二千 yihchīn

10,000

一萬 yātmaahn

100,000

十萬 sahpmaahn

1,000,000

一百萬 yātbaakmaahn

10,000,000

一千萬 yātchīnmaahn

100,000,000

一億 yātyīk

1,000,000,000

十億 sahpyīk

10,000,000,000

一百億 yātbaakyīk

100,000,000,000

一千億 yātchīnyīk

1,000,000,000,000

一兆 yātsiuh

number _____ (train, bus, etc.)

_____號 houh

half

半 bun

less

小 síu

more

多 dō

Time

now

而家 yīgā

late

遲 chìh

early

早 jóu

morning

朝早 jīujóu

afternoon

晏晝 ngaanjau

evening

夜晚 yeh máahn

Clock time

one o'clock

一點 yāt dím

two o'clock

兩點 léuhng dím (not 二點)

two five

兩點一 / 兩點踏一 léuhng dím yāt/léuhng dím daahp yāt

two ten

兩點二 / 兩點踏二 léuhng dím yih/léuhng dím daahp yih

two fifteen

兩點三 / 兩點踏三 léuhng dím sāam/léuhng dím daahp sāam

two thirty/Half past two

兩點半 léuhng dím bun (not 兩點六 / 兩點踏六)

two forty-five

兩點九 / 兩點踏九 léuhng dím gáu/léuhng dím daahp gáu

two fifty

兩點十 / 兩點踏十 léuhng dím sahp/léuhng dím daahp sahp

two fifty-five

兩點踏十一 léuhng dím daahp sahpyāt (not 兩點十一)

two fifty-seven

兩點五十七分 léuhng dím ńghsahpchāt fān

Duration

_____ minute(s)

_____ 分鐘 fānjūng

_____ hour(s)

_____ 個鐘 gor jūng

_____ day(s)

_____ 日 yaht

_____ week(s)

_____ 個禮拜 gor láihbaai

_____ month(s)

_____ 個月 gor yuht

_____ year(s)

_____ 年 nìhn

Days

today

今日 gām'yaht

yesterday

尋日 chàhm'yaht

tomorrow

聽日 tīngyaht

the day before last

前日 chìhnyaht

the day after tomorrow

後日 hauh'yaht

this week

今個禮拜 gām go láihbaai

last week

上個禮拜 seuhng go láihbaai

next week

下個禮拜 hah go láihbaai

Sunday

禮拜日 láihbaai yaht

Monday

禮拜一 láihbaai yāt

Tuesday

禮拜二 láihbaai yih

Wednesday

禮拜三 láihbaai sāam

Thursday

禮拜四 láihbaai sei

Friday

禮拜五 láihbaai ńgh

Saturday

禮拜六 láihbaai luhk

Months

January

一月 yāt'yuht

February

二月 yih'yuht

March

三月 sāam'yuht

April

四月 seiyuht

May

五月 ńgh'yuht

June

六月 luhk'yuht

July

七月 chāt'yuht

August

八月 baat'yuht

September

九月 gáuyuht

October

十月 sahpyuht

November

十一月 sahpyāt'yuht

December

十二月 sahpyih'yuht

Colors

black

黑色 hāk sīk

white

白色 baahk sīk

gray

灰色 fūi sīk

red

紅色 hùhng sīk

blue

藍色 làahm̀ sīk

yellow

黃色 wòhng sīk

green

綠色 luhk sīk

orange

橙色 chàahng sīk

purple

紫色 jí sīk

brown

啡色 fē sīk

Transportation

Bus and train

In Cantonese, "train" is translated into 火車 (fóchē) and "bus" is 巴士 (bāsí). The language uses measure words or numeral classifiers before the actual nouns. In context of the following examples, the respective Cantonese measure words for 火車 and 巴士 are 班 (bāan) and 架 (ga).

How much is a ticket to _____?

去_____張飛要幾多錢嘎? Heui _____ jēung fēi yiu géidō chín gah?

One ticket to _____, please.

一張飛去_____, 唔該. Yāt jēung fēi heui _____, m̀h'gōi.

Where does this train/bus go?

呢 [班火車]/[架巴士] 去邊度嘎? Nī [bāan fóchē]/[ga bāsí] heui bīn?

Where is the train/bus to _____?

去_____ [班火車]/[架巴士] 喺邊度搭嘎? Heui _____ [bāan fóchē]/[ga bāsí] hái bīndouh daap gah?

Does this train/bus stop in _____?

呢[班火車]/[架巴士]停唔停_____嘎? Nī [bāan fóchē]/[ga bāsí] tìhng-m̀h- tìhng _____ gah?

When does the train/bus for _____ leave?

去_____[班火車/架巴士]幾點走嘎? Heui _____ [bāan fóchē]/[ga bāsí] géidím jáu gah?

When will this train/bus arrive in _____?

[班火車]/[架巴士]會幾點去到_____嘎? [Bāan fóchē]/[Ga bāsí] wúih géidím heuidou _____ gah?

Directions

How do I get to _____ ?

我可以點去_____呀? Ngóh hó'yi dím heui _____ a?

the train station

火車站 fóchē jaahm

the bus station?

巴士站 bāsí jaahm

the airport?

機場 gēichèuhng

downtown?

市區 síh'kēui

the youth hostel?

青年旅舍 chīngnìhn léuihséh

the _____ hotel?

_____ 酒店 _____ jáudim

the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate

美國/加拿大/澳州/英國 領事館? Méihgwok/Gānàhdaaih/Oujāu/Yīng'gwok líhngsihgún

Where are there a lot of_____ ?

邊度可以搵到好多_____呀? Bīndouh hó'yi wándou hóudō _____ a?

restaurants

餐廳 chāantēng

bars

酒吧 jáubā

sites to see

景點 gíngdím

Can you show me on the map?

可唔可以喺張地圖度指俾我睇呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi hái jēung deihtòuh douh jí béi ngóh tái a?

street

街 gāai

Turn left.

轉左 Jyun jó.

Turn right.

轉右 Jyun yauh.

left

左 jó

right

右 yauh

straight ahead

直行 jihk'hàahng

towards the _____

去_____ heui _____

past the _____

過咗 _____ gwojó _____

before the _____

_____之前 jīchìhn

Watch for the _____.

睇住_____. Táijyuh _____.

intersection

十字路口 sahpjihlouh'háu

north

北面 bākmihn

south

南面 nàahm'mihn

east

東面 dūngmihn

west

西面 sāimihn

uphill

上山 séuhngsāan

downhill

落山 lohksāan

Taxi

Taxi!

的士! Dīksíh!

Take me to _____, please.

載我去_____, 唔該. Joi ngóh heui _____, m̀h'gōi.

How much does it cost to get to _____?

去_____要幾多錢嘎? Heui _____ yiu géidō chín gah?

Take me there, please.

載我去嗰度, 唔該. Joi ngóh heui gódouh, m̀h'gōi

Lodging

Common signs OPEN 營業中 / 開 CLOSED 休息 / 關 ENTRANCE 入口 EXIT 出口 PUSH 推 PULL 拉 TOILET 洗手間 MEN 男 WOMEN 女 FORBIDDEN 禁止/嚴禁

Do you have any rooms available?

你哋有冇空房呀? Néihdeih yáuh-móuh hūngfóng a?

How much is a room for one person/two people?

單人房/雙人房 要幾多錢呀? Dāanyàhnfóng/Sēungyàhnfóng yiu géidō chín a?

Does the room come with _____?

間房有冇_____嘎? Gāan fóng yáuh-móuh _____ gah?

bedsheets

床襟 chòhngkám

a bathroom

浴室 yuhksāt

a telephone

電話 dihnwah

a TV

電視 dihnsih

May I see the room first?

可唔可以睇下間房先呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi tái-háh gāan fóng sīn a?

Do you have anything _____?

有冇間房會_____嘎? Yáuh-móuh gāan fóng húi _____ gah?

quieter

靜啲 jihngdī

bigger

大啲 daaihdī

cleaner

乾淨啲 gōnjehngdī

cheaper

平啲 pèhngdī

OK, I'll take it.

好, 我要呢間. Hóu, ngóh yiu nī gāan.

I will stay for _____ night(s).

我會喺度住_____晚. Ngóh húi háidouh jyuh _____ máahn.

Can you suggest another hotel?

你可唔可以介紹第二間酒店俾我呀? Néih hó-m̀h-hó'yi gaaisiuh daihyih gāan jáudim béi ngóh a?

Do you have a _____?

你哋有冇_____嘎? Néihdeih yáuh-móuh _____ gah?

safe

夾萬 gaapmaahn

lockers

儲物櫃 chyúhmahtgwaih

Is breakfast/supper included?

包唔包 早餐/晚餐 嘎? Bāau-m̀h-bāau jóuchāan/máahnchāan gah?

What time is breakfast/supper?

幾點有 早餐/晚餐 嘎? Géidím yáuh jóuchāan/máahnchāan gah?

Please clean my room.

唔該幫我執下間房. M̀h'gōi bōng ngóh jāp-háh gāan fóng.

Can you wake me at _____?

可唔可以_____叫醒我呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi _____ giuséng ngóh a?

I want to check out.

我想退房. Ngóh séung teuifóng.

Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?

你哋收唔收 美/澳/加 元嘎? Néihdeih sāu-m̀h-sāu Méih/Ou/Gā yùhn gah?

Do you accept British pounds?

你哋收唔收英鎊嘎? Néihdeih sāu-m̀h-sāu Yīngbohng gah?

Do you accept credit cards?

你哋收唔收信用卡嘎? Néihdeih sāu-m̀h-sāu sun-yoong-caht gah?

Can you change money for me?

可唔可以幫我唱錢呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi bōng ngóh cheung chín a?

Where can I get money changed?

我可以去邊度唱錢呀? Ngóh hó'yi heui bīndouh cheung chín a?

Can you change a traveler's check for me?

可唔可以幫我唱張旅行支票呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi bōng ngóh cheung jēung léuih'hàhng jīpiu a?

Where can I get a traveler's check changed?

我可以去邊度唱張旅行支票呀? Ngóh hó'yi heui bīndouh cheung jēung léuih'hàhng jīpiu a?

What is the exchange rate?

匯率係幾多呀? Wuihléut haih géidō a?

Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?

邊度有櫃員機呀? Bīndouh yáuh gwai'hyùhn'gēi a?

Eating

Reading a Chinese Menu Look for these characters to get an idea of how your food's cooked. With help from The Eater's Guide to Chinese Characters (J. McCawley). 煎 jīn fried 炒 cháau stir-fried or scrambled 煮 jyú boiled 炸 ja deep-fried 炆 mān simmered 燉 dahn stewed 焗 guhk baked 蒸 jīng steamed

A table for one person/two people, please.

一張 一人枱/二人枱, 唔該. Yāt jēung yātyàhntói/yihyàhntói, m̀h'gōi.

Can I look at the menu, please?

俾張餐牌我睇, 唔該. Béi jēung chāanpáai ngóh tái, m̀h'gōi.

Can I look in the kitchen?

可唔可以睇吓個廚房呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi tái-háh gō chyùhfóng a?

Is there a house specialty?

有乜嘢嘢食出名嘎? Yáuh mātyéh yéhsihk chēutméng gah?

Is there a local specialty?

有冇本地嘢食嘎? Yáuh-móuh búndeih yéhsihk gah?

I'm a vegetarian.

我食素. Ngóh sihk sou.

I don't eat pork.

我唔食豬. Ngóh m̀h'sihk jyū.

I don't eat beef.

我唔食牛. Ngóh m̀h'sihk ngàuh.

I only eat halal food.

我淨係食清真嘢. Ngóh jihnghaih sihk chīngjān yéh.

Can you make it "lite", please?

嘢食清啲, 唔該. yéhsihk chīngdī, m̀h'gōi.

fixed-price meal

套餐 touchāan

a la carte

跟餐牌 gān chāanpáai (means "as on the menu")

breakfast

早餐 jóuchāan

lunch

晏 aan / 午餐 ńghchāan

tea (meal)

下午茶 hah-ńgh-chàh

supper

晚餐 máahnchāan

I want _____.

我想要_____. Ngóh séung yiu _____.

I want a dish containing _____.

我想要樣有_____. Ngóh séung yiu yeuhng yáuh _____.

chicken

雞 gāi

beef

牛 ngàuh

fish

魚 yùh

ham

火腿 fótéui

sausage

香腸 hēungchéuhng

cheese

芝士 jīsí

eggs

蛋 dáan

salad

沙律 sāléut

(fresh) vegetables

(新鮮)蔬菜 (sānsīn) sōchoi

(fresh) fruit

(新鮮)生果 (sānsīn) sāang'gwó

bread

麵包 mihnbāau

toast

多士 dōsí

noodles

麵 mihn

rice

飯 faahn

beans

豆 dáu

May I have a glass/cup of _____?

可唔可以俾杯_____我呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi béi būi _____ ngóh a?

May I have a bottle of _____?

可唔可以俾樽_____我呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi béi jēun _____ ngóh a?

coffee

咖啡 gafē

tea (drink)

茶 chàh

juice

果汁 gwójāp

bubbly water

有氣水 yáuh'hei séui

water

水 séui

beer

啤酒 bējáu

red/white wine

紅/白 酒 hùhng/baahk jáu

May I have some _____?

可唔可以俾啲_____我呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi béi dī _____ ngóh a?

salt

鹽 yìhm

black pepper

黑椒 hākjīu

butter

牛油 ngàuhyàuh

Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server)

侍應唔該. Sihying m̀h'gōi.

I'm finished.

食完嘅喇. Sihkyùhn gela.

It was delicious.

好食. Hóusihk

Please clear the plates.

唔該幫我清下張枱. M̀h' gōi bōng ngóh chīng-háh jēung tói.

The check, please.

埋單, 唔該. Màaihdāan, m̀h'gōi.

Bars

Do you serve alcohol?

你哋有冇酒飲嘎? Néihdeih yáuh-móuh jáu yám gah?

Is there table service?

有冇侍應埋枱嘎? Yáuh-móuh sihying màai tói gah?

A beer/two beers, please.

一/兩杯 啤酒, 唔該. Yāt/léuhng būi bējáu, m̀h'gōi.

A glass of red/white wine, please.

一杯 紅/白 酒, 唔該. Yāt būi hùhng/baahk jáu, m̀h'gōi.

A pint, please.

一 pint, 唔該. Yāt pint, m̀h'gōi. ("品脫 bán'tyut" is the corresponding word for "pint", but no one will use it in bars.)

A bottle, please.

一樽, 唔該. Yāt jēun, m̀h'gōi.

_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please.

_____同_____, 唔該. _____ tùhng _____, m̀h'gōi.

whiskey

威士忌 wāisigéi

vodka

伏特加 fuhkdahkgā

rum

冧酒 lāmjáu

water

水 séui

club soda

梳打水 sōdá séui

tonic water

湯力水 tōnglihk séui

orange juice

橙汁 cháangjāp

Coke (soda)

可樂 hólohk

Do you have any bar snacks?

你哋有冇小食嘎? Néihdeih yáuh-móuh síusihk gah?

One more (cup/bottle), please.

要多一 杯/樽, 唔該. Yiu dō yāt būi/jēun, m̀h'gōi.

When is closing time?

幾點柵門嘎? Géidím sāanmùhn gaa?

Cheers!

飲杯! Yámbūi!

Shopping

Do you have this in my size?

呢件有冇我個碼呀? Nī gihn yáuh-móuh ngóh go má a?

How much?

幾多錢呀? Géidō chín a?

That's too expensive.

太貴啦. Taai gwai la.

Would you take _____?

收唔收_____嘎? Sāu-m̀h-sāu _____ gah?

expensive

貴 gwai

cheap

平 pèhng

I can't afford it.

我俾唔起. Ngóh béi m̀h héi.

I don't want it.

我唔想要. Ngóh m̀h séung yiu.

You're cheating me.

你呃緊我嘅. Néih āk gán ngóh gé.

I'm not interested.

我冇興趣. Ngóh móuh hing cheui.

OK, I'll take it.

好, 我要呢件. Hóu, ngóh yiu nī gihn.

Can I have a bag?

可唔可以俾個袋我呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi béi go dói ngóh a?

Do you ship (overseas)?

你哋送唔送貨(去外國)嘎? Néihdeih sung-m̀h-sung fo (heui ngoihgwok) gah?

I need...

我要... Ngóh yiu…

...toothpaste.

...牙膏. ngàh gōu.

...a toothbrush.

...牙刷. ngàh chaat.

...tampons.

...衛生巾. waihsāng'gān.

...soap.

...番挸. fāan'gáan.

...shampoo.

...洗頭水. sái'tàuhséui.

...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen)

...止痛藥. jí'tung yeuhk.

...cold medicine.

...感冒藥. gám'mouh yeuhk.

...stomach medicine.

...胃藥. waih yeuhk.

...a razor.

...剃鬚刀. taisōudōu.

...an umbrella.

...遮. jē.

...sunblock lotion.

...太陽油. taaiyèuhngyàuh.

...a postcard.

...名信片. mìhngseunpín.

...postage stamps.

...郵票. yàuhpiu.

...batteries.

...電池. dihnchìh.

...writing paper.

...信紙. seunjí.

...a pen.

...筆. bāt.

...English-language books.

...英文書. Yīngmàhn syū.

...English-language magazines.

...英文雜誌. Yīngmàhn jaahpji.

...an English-language newspaper.

...英文報紙. Yīngmàhn boují.

...an English-English dictionary.

...英英字典. Yīngyīng jihdín.

Driving

I want to rent a car.

我想租車. Ngóh séung jōu chē.

Can I get insurance?

邊度可以買保險嘎? Bīndouh hó'yi máaih bóu hím gah?

stop (on a street sign)

停 tìhng

one way

單程路 dāanchìhnglouh

yield

讓 yeuhng

no parking

不准泊車 bātjéun paakchē

speed limit

速度限制 chūkdouh haahnjai

gas (petrol) station

油站 yàuhjaahm

petrol

汽油 heiyàuh

diesel

柴油 chàaihyàuh

Authority

I haven't done anything wrong.

我冇做錯野. Ngóh móuh jouh cho yéh.

It was a misunderstanding.

件事係誤會. Ginh sih haih ngh-wuih.

Where are you taking me?

你帶我去邊? Néih daai ngóh heui bīn.

Am I under arrest?

我係唔係俾人拉左呀? Ngóh haih-m̀h-haih béi yàhn lāai jó a?

I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.

我係 美國/澳州/英國/加拿大 公民. Ngóh haih Méihgwok/Oujāu/Yīng'gwok/Gānàhdaaih gūngmàhn.

I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.

我要搵 美國/澳州/英國/加拿大 大使館/領事館. Ngóh yiu wán Méihgwok/Oujāu/Yīng'gwok/Gānàhdaaih daaihsigún/líhngsihgún.

I want to talk to a lawyer.

我要搵律師. Ngóh yiu wán leuhtsī.

Can I just pay a fine now?

可唔可以就咁罰錢呀? Hó-m̀h-hó'yi jauh gám faht chín?