Cantonese No Sweat

''Easier than using chopsticks!" - PETER BOCZAR, leo Burnett ltd.
includes CD
with pronunciation aid
and full-length conversations
No Swea-t Caf'\-tOf'\ese
ArYl~ Leur'\~
Asia 2000 Limited

Hang Kong
© 2003 Amy Leung
All Rights Reserved
ISBN :962-8783-29-7
Published by Asia 2000 Ltd

lB'h Floor, Hollywood Centre,
77-91 Queen' s Road West,
Hong Kong
http:/ /www. asia2000.com .hk
Typeset in Futuro by Julia Ng

Illustrated by Sunshine Wong
Printed in Hong Kong by You Yee Printing & Binding Co. (H .K.)
First Printing 2003

Second Printing 2005
Third Printing 2007
The rights of Amy Leung to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted in
accordance with sed ion 77and 78 of the United Kingdom 's Copyright Designs and Patents
Ad 1988.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise,
be lent, resold hired out or otherwise circulated without the publi sher' s prior written
consent in ony form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without
a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Contents
Preface vii
How to Use the Book ix
Basics
Chapter 1 What is Cantonese? 3
Chapter 2 Numbers and Things 15
Topics
Chapter 3 Greetings 29
Chapter 4 Physical Appearance 47
Chapter 5 Transportation : Going to Work and 55
Going Out
Chapter 6 Around the Home 67
Chapter 7 Finding your Way 75
Chapter 8 Bargaining: At the Market and Shopping 83
Chapter 9 Time, Dote and Day of the Week 95
Chapter 10 Going on a Business Trip 105
Chapter 11 First Visit to Hong Kong 115
Chapter 12 Interests and Hobbies 129
Chapter 13 Weather 135
Chapter 14 In the Kitchen 145
Chapter 15 Chinese Dim Sum and local Cafes 153
Appendices
Appendix I Geographical Terms 168
Appendix II Idioms and Slang Expressions 175
Appendix Ill Glossary 182
Appendix IV A Chinese Recipe 203
Acknowledgements 205
About the Author 207
Preface
1\.1 o S w e a -t: C a 1'\ -t: o 1'\ e s e is designed to help non-
Cantonese speakers from all walks of life to learn to speak the
language while having fun . While it is written primarily for
expatriate residents and frequent visitors to Hong Kong, it can
be used by anyone interested in the language. Cantonese is
spoken by over 70 million people worldwide; aside from in Hong
Kong, Cantonese is spoken in many parts of China's Guangdong
and Guangxi provinces, as well as the Special Administrative
Region of Macau . It can be heard in "Chinatowns" in cities
across the world, and it is the language of Hong Kong's cinema,
which enjoys global popularity, particularly those featuring such
stars as Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Chow Yun-fat, and Alan
Tam, just to name a few.
After July 1 st, 1997, English and Mandarin became Hong
Kong's tow official languages. However, Cantonese is still the
most widely spoken dialect used in everyday life. So while
knowing Cantonese may not be essential for doing business
in Hong Kong, you will have a lot more fun living here if you
know just a little. Although many Hong Kong people, such as
taxi drivers and shopkeepers, can speak at least some English,
expatriates will find it valuable to learn some basic Cantonese
phrases in order to find their way around . It is especially useful
while shopping at the market and for those who live on outlying
islands such as Lantau, Lamma and Cheung Chou, where the
use of English is more limited . Speaking Cantonese may even
help break the ice at parties and among your co-workers in
the office, and earn you respect for your efforts. The local people
might have a laugh at your expense but they will certainly
appreciate your trying to speak their language.
This book has been written to guide you through learning
Cantonese in on enjoyable way. The chapters ore arranged by
"topics" or situations that arise most frequently in everyday
life. Each provides you with a list of useful words and phrases
so that you con speak with confidence local people . Guided
conversations, which ore accompanied by the CD recording,
help place what you hove learned into living context. In addition,
there ore explanations of grammar and sentence patterns for
your complete understanding of Cantonese. Lost but not least,
pop-up boxes containing fun and useful information on the
rituals of work, ploy and love guide you towards fully immersing
yourself in local culture.
So let's start learning Cantonese in a fun new way!
Amy Leung
Hong Kong
How to Use This Book
Over the years that I spent training non-Chinese students in
the Cantonese language. I come to realize that that there was a
Strong demand for on up-to-dote textbook focusing on the
Practical needs of expatriates. What's more, it needed to be
Presented in a manner that mode Cantonese. "that impossible
Language!" - easy and enjoyable to learn .
This book meets that demand . With its emphasis on
vocabulary and practical application, it is suitable for learners at
both beginner's and intermediate levels, as well as those more
advanced learners who simply wont to brush up on what they
already know. The unique integration of "pop-up" cultural boxes
with the more conventional elements of the textbook should guide
the business traveler, expatriate resident and anyone else keen
to learn Cantonese in the practical usage of newly acquired
vocabulary and phrases.
No Swea-t Car"li:Or"lese consists of a textbook and
a CD recording . The four elements to the textbook- Lingo,
Chit Chat, One-liners and Grammatical Notes - present
Vocabulary, guided conversation, useful expressions and basic
Grammar to the student. They should be approached in that
Sequence by beginners, who con then follow through the book
In its logical order.
Whenever you see the ·r ecording icon{) , you should
follow the text while listening to the pronunciation of the native
speaker on the CD, then repeat several times. You should keep
returning to the recordings to check the accuracy of yours
pronunciation . The CD begins with a brief introduction and
then continues into chapter 1 .Each subsequent chapter has its
own separate track on the CD e .g . for chapter 2 ploy track 2.
All of the Cantonese vocabulary is written phonetically.
Listening to the CD while studying the text will allow you to
become familiar with the method that I have used . On a few
occasions, I have used a colloquial pronunciation, rather than
the exact pronunciation, when the former is in general use in
Hong Kong.
For intermediate to advanced learners, the textbook serves
as a unique reference work on everyday language and culture,
and can be used according to individual needs . The recording
can also be used independently of the textbook - for instance,
while driving in the car or flying on a plane - as a way to keep
you thinking and pronouncing correctly in Cantonese .
In addition, the appendices are a useful reference for
students at all levels. The city and country names in Appendix I
are listed in the alphabetical order of their Cantonese
pronunciation, so as to promote listening comprehension. The
idioms and slang expressions in Appendix II are arranged
according to common theme. Appendix Ill serves as a mini
dictionary of all the vocabulary introduces in each chapter.
It takes time to learn a language. I suggest that you use
the CD and the textbook together at least three times a week
for 20 to 30 minutes to get the best results. Time management
is also important. To increase the frequency of your exposure
to the material, you may wish to regularly listen to the recording
on your way to work. Finally, learning requires a fun attitude
toward practice. The best way to learn effectively is to practice
loudly and unabashedly with friends or with co-workers every
chance you get.
13>asics
I
J What is Cantonese?
Cantonese is the most widely spoken dialect used in everyday
life in Hong Kong . It is a dialect of Chinese, a "tonal " language
- the meaning of the word depends on the tone used to
pronounce it (see 1 . 1). Chinese dialects are a closely related
group of languages which share a similar writing system of
" characters" , but which are spoken differently. The precise
number of these dialects is the subject of debate - there are
essentially seven main languages (including Cantonese) and
perhaps two hundred minor ones.
1 .1 What are Tones?

Tones are the most troublesome aspect of learning to speak
Cantonese for native English speakers. While Chinese grammar
is much simpler than that of English , tones provide a more
than adequate challenge for the novice . However, after a few
weeks or months you will have mastered the tones, and will be
able to pronounce Cantonese with confidence , astounding your
English-speaking friends in the process.
A tone is the relative pitch in the range of one ' s voice .
While in English varying the pitch of one ' s voice is used for
emphasis or to form a question , pronounci ng a Cantonese
word with a high pitched voice is almost certain to give the
word a different meaning than saying the same vowels and
consonants with a lower pitched voice . While other Asian
languages, e.g . Thai and Vietnamese, also make use of tones,
modern Cantonese has seven tones, which is more than most
other languages, making it difficult for most beginners to learn .
In Cantonese, the same vowels and consonants pronounced
with different tones can have six or seven different meanings.
An example of this is the word "Si :"
3
No Swea-t Can-tonese
Tone How the Cantonese Meaning

word is wriHen in the
Roman alphabet
High Falling Si or Si Poem

High
High Rising Si Feces
Middle Si Try
Low Falling Slh Time
Low Rising Sih City
Low Sih Matter
To help you pronounce as you read we will use the following

system of writing tones.
1. For the high tones, we put the appropriate tone mark on
the top of the first vowel/final.
2. For the middle tone, there is no tone mark at all.
3. For low falling/rising tones, we put "h" after the vowel!
final. plus the appropriate tone mark.
4. For the low tone, we put "h" after the vowel/final.
4
Chap-ter/ wha-t is Can-tonese ?
The following graphic illustrates the range of tones in

Cantonese :
High or High
~.~·;,,
Falling (Si or
Sl)
--=--------
Q)
Cl
r:::
e Middle (Si)
t•
•
••
One simplification for the purposes of this book is that we will

not distinguish between the High Falling and High tones, as
for most speakers there is no audible difference . Therefore,
practically speaking, the number of tones is reduced to six.
See, it' s easier already!
5
1\/o Swea-t Can-tonese
TONAL TROUBLES
You may have heard from friends who have had some
exposure to Cantonese that occasionally, this aspect of the
language can lead to some interesting situations - either
amusing or embarrassing depending on your perspective .
Here are a few examples :
A
Ordering a Hot Dog - One of my students went Ia a cafe
to order a hat dog. Eager to practice Cantonese , he
confidently spoke the words that I had taught him the day
before. Unfortunately he made a slight mistake in the lone,
and asked instead for a "hot male organ". The staff couldn 't
help laughing but my student wasn't embarrassed, as he knew
that practicing is the only way to learn a language.
The Canadian and The Armpit- Another of my students

was looking for his Canadian colleague at work and he used
the wards he had just learned to ask his Chinese colleague,
"Where is the Canadian guy?" However, he used the wrong
tone, and actually said, "Where is Mr. Armpit? " They all had
a laugh .
"Light up" before you "Hit the plane " - One time ,
someone asked my student whether he had a lighter.
However, my student thought he said, "Hit the plane"- which
...
happens to be slang for " masturbate ." He immediately
punched the unsuspecting smoker. The pronunciation is so
similar that he mistook it as something rude. It took him a
while to clear himself out of that mess!
6
~--------~~
Chllpter 1 Wh;Jt is Cllntonese!
1 .2 Pronunciation Drill
Now try the following Pronunciation Drill (I promise not to hove

too many of these) . Repeat a few times after the recording,
then try it on your own :
High High
Rising
Middle Low
Falling
Low
Rising
Low
0
Ba ba ba bah bah bah
Do do do doh doh doh
Si si si sih sih sih
Po pa pa pah pah pah
Gwa gwa gwa gwah gwah gwah
Syu syu syu syuh syuh syuh
Fan fan fan fohn fohn fohn
Congratulations! You've now correctly pronounced all six tones

for the first time! Just do that whenever you speak Cantonese,
and things will go smoothly.
7
N o Swe<!f C<!nfonese
1.3 Initials and Finals
In addition to tones , we have 19 Initials and 51 Finals in

Cantonese . Initials are the consonants that make up the be-
ginning of the syllable . Finals are the vowels and consonants
that make up the end of the syllable.
To summarize :
1. Initial = the beginning sound of the syllable.

2 . Final = the ending sound of the syllable.
3. Tone mark = the relative pitch of the syllable.
Here are three examples of syllables :
tone mark
I
I\
Good High tone
initial final
Good looking Middle tone

Good quality
initial final
I, me low tone
initial final
8
Ch<Jpfer 1 Wh<Jt is C<Jnfonese!
1.3.1 Initials
Here is a list of all the Initials you will find in Cantonese.

Initial
b
Cantonese
example
be
Meaning
father
Chinese
~
0
p pa be afraid of lie
d de dozen n
ta he flt!
g go home ~
*«:
k ka carriage
fa flower
h he shrimp Ji
n nah
Ia
Ia take
please
•
om
ja to drive m
ch cha bad ~
m me mother Ill
ng ngah teeth ~
gw gwa melon ~
kw kwa to climb over ~
sa sand )Ul
w wah to say ~
y yah also tE
9
No Swe<Jt C<Jntonese
1.3 .2 Finals
Here is a list of all the Finals you will find in Cantonese.
QThe
Final
0
Cantonese
example
fa
Meaning
flower
Chinese
it:
single
and
double
"a "
finals
ooi
oou
moo i
beau
to buy
bread
•
Mil
oom sa om three
a on do on bill m
oong haohng to walk fj
oak book hundred i3
oop ngoop duck !PI
a at boat eight n
au gau nine tl
om sam heart /{j
on san new iii
ong dang light m
ok dak OK ~
at mat what h
oi soi small fall
op jap juice >t
10
Ch<Jpfer 1 Wh<Jt is C<Jnfonese!
Final
e
Cantonese
example
che
Meaning
car
Chinese
m 0
••
The
''e"
ek sek kiss finals
eng Ieng good looking
eu heu boot II:

euk
eung
jeuk
leuhng
to wear
two (a couple)
•m
ei bei to give tt
eui heui to go n
eun seun letter ~
eut cheut exit l±l
si to try ~ The
"i"
iu siu laugh ~ finals
im tihm sweet m
in sin first ~
ip dip plate li}ll
it yiht hot im
ing bing ice }~
ik sik can/ able to 6M
11
No 5we;;t C;;ntonese
0
Final Cantonese Meaning Chinese
example
The
0 go song 11!
''o"
finals
oi hoi open rm
on gon dry ~
ong mohng busy ijt
ot hot thirsty Ill
ok lohk to get off >1!
ou h6u good lH
The
"u"
u fu biller a
finals ui bui cup ~
un
ut
bon
fut
to move
wide
•
Ill
ung dung cold )m
uk ok house ~
The
"y"
yu syo book il
finals yun syOn sour It
yut syut snow ~
12
Ch;Jpter 1 Wh<1t is C<1ntonese!
The Finals p, t, and k are "unreleased ." These sounds are

pronounced as b, d and g in English .
The Initial < ng > can always be omitted . E.g. ng6h can be
pronounced as 6h.
The Initial <ch> reads as < ts > in English.
The Initial <n> may be pronounced as < I> , but not vice
versa , e .g . neih ("you") can be pronounced as lei h, but
lei , which is "pear" in Engl ish, shouldn 't be pronounced
a s nei .
The Finals < aa > and < a >:
The vowel length of the Final could affect the pronuncia -
tion of the syllable. For example, a long vowel has a weak
ending and a short vowel has a strong ending .
fa an (go) ~ fan (to divide) fl

sOan (mountain) lll sCm (new) ~
boon (class) m ban (run) ~
",. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F~'~~~.._~ , .... _

Now that you can pronounce Cantonese words without diffi-
culty (or without too much difficulty), you're ready to begin to
learn how to make actual words and sentences!
Go to the next chapter and speak loudly and clearly!!!
13
2 Numbers and Things
For the first 9,999 numbers, the Chinese counting system looks
just like the one you are probably familiar with . From 10,000
onwards, things start getting complicated . However, once you've
been introduced to the basic concept behind the Chinese count-
ing system, you'll be counting sheep in Cantonese in no time.
2.1 Numbers
Here is a list of cardinal numbers (numbers we usually use for

counting) in Cantonese:
=+
1
2
3
yat
yih
scam
20
30
40
yih sohp
scam sohp
sei sohp
=+
lm+
0
4 sei 1m 50 ngh sohp 11+
5 ngh 11 60 luhk sohp i\+
6 luhk i\
7 chat t: 250 yih book ngh
sohp
=s11+
8 boot {\ (2x100+50)
1l
9
10
g6u
sohp + 303 scam book =a•=
0 llhng
• llhng saom
(3x100+3)
-·-••=
100 yot book -8
1000 yo! chln -=f
10000 yo! moohn
10002 yo! moohn llhng yih (1 0000+2)
100,000 sohp moohn +M
1,000,000 yo! book moohn -sa
10,000,000 yo! chln moohn -=fii
100,000,000 yat ylk -fl
15
No Sw ei/t Ci!nfonese
Q
~~--~--~------------......... ...
When learning Ia count, children in Hong Kong recite their
numbers in a "nursery rhyme: "
1, 2, 3 yot yih scam

3, 2, 1 scam yih yot
1, 2 , 3 , 4 , 5, 6, 7 yot yih scam sei
ngh luhk chat
... which is sung to the same tune as " This old man, he played
one, he played Knick Knack on my drum."
Counting system comparison :
You may have noticed that the Chinese have a word for
10,000, maahn. Maahn acts as a counting unit just like sahp
(1 0), back (1 00) and chin (1 ,000) do.
To summarize, here is a comparison of the Chinese and
Western counting systems:
Chinese Western
Sahp 10 + ten
Back 100 i3 hundred
Chin 1,000 =f thousand
Maahn
Sahp maahn
Yet back maahn 1,000,000
10,000
100,000 •-sM
+M
ten thousand
hundred thousand
1 million
Yet Yik 100,000,000 -m lOOmillion
16
CJ.,apter2 N UMBers and 17-.int;,s
Build ing numbers :
Sahp yet 10 + 1 +-
Yih sahp scam 2x10+3 -+=
- -
Yet back llhng chat 1 X 100 + 0 + 7 -s~Jt::
Yet back chat sahp 1 X 100 + 70 -st::+

Yet maahn llhng chat 1 X 10,000 + 7 -MIJ!t::
"Yih " and " Leuhng " compared :
In Cantonese, we have 2 words for the number "2 :"
"Yih" (=) is used for numbers such as 2 .
e .g My telephone number is 2345-6677 (yih scam sei ngh luhk

luhk chat chat)
"Leuhng " (~) is used for persons or objects before the classi-
fier(see 2 .2) .
e.g Leuhng gihn Sci do si.

(Two French toast please.)
Remember: "leuhng " is not used for specifying pairs of things

such os o pair of trousers, o pair of glosses, etc. because you
can't split them aport. The word for "pair" is the classifier "deui"
(see 2 .2) .
17
No 5we;Jt Ciinfonese
-·~~~~~:~=====~-----~------- LUCKY NUMBERS
Despite their worldliness, Hong Kong people con be qu ite

superstitious. like in many other cultures, they believe in lucky
numbers . But unlike other cultures , these au spicious (or
inauspicious) numbers are chosen for their similarities in pro-
nunciation to other words . The most common ore:
Number Implied meaning Synonym
8 boot prosperous g) foot

18 sohp boot certain prosperity .g}saht foot
28 yih sohp boot easily prosper ~g}yihfoot
9 g6u forever ~ g6u
3 sO am life ~ sOong
4 sei die/ death 9E sei
14 sahp sei certain death II9Esaht slii
24 yih sohp sei easily die ~9Eyih sei
That's why some Hong Kong buildings don't hove the 14th floor,
just like some Western buildings lock the 13th. Some people
even pay for license plates that have especially auspicious num-
bers on them . I used to work for a company in New Zealand
that sold such license plates. Prices ranged between a few hun-
dred to millions of New Zealand dollars!
-'11!. . . . . . ._ _ _ _ _7111111•- . . . . .
Practice:
Try these on your own, then listen to the answer on the tape .
a) 17 d) 271
b) 68 e) 9,800
c) 305 f) 41,622
18
Cf.,apter2 A.lum5ers and 1J.,ir'o4s
2.2 Classifiers
A classifier is a measuring word that helps describe the quan-
tity of a noun .
It is used in the following way:
cardinal number + classifier + noun
For example:
one/a piece of toast
yet gihn do sf
The word "gihn" is the classifier of toast (do sf) .
one/a bowl of rice

yet wtJn foehn
The word "wun" is the classifier of rice (foehn).
Classifiers usually describe the shape, size or function of the

noun. Their assignment to specific nouns is sometimes logical
(i .e. you can have either a stick or a block of wood depending
on the visible shape of the object), and sometimes idiomatic
(i.e. the combination of the classifier and the noun is specific to
the language) . Being a particularly idiomatic language,
Cantonese tends to have many of the latter. Also, unlike English,
every noun denoting an object or a concept must be described
by a classifier in Cantonese.
((
19
No 5wei!f Ciinfonese
Here are a few more classifiers :
Bun for books (syu), magazines (jaahp ji)

publications, etc.
Go for persons, roundish objects, such as

oranges, small equipment (clock)
Ji literally a "bottle", e.g. "Yet ji j<iu" means

"a bottle of wine". It is also used as a
classifier for long, slender and inflexible
objects such as cigarettes (yin)
nuh for objects that are long and slender but

flexible such as trousers (fu) , necklace
(gE'mglin), dress (kwahn), fish such as
salmon (scam mahn yu), etc.
Goon 1m for buildings and contructians such as a

house (uk), companies or department
stores (gOngsi)
Go 1JD for machinery such as aircraft (fei-gei),

Tn
radio (sou yam gei), television (dihn sih),
etc.
Jek II for animals (excluding human beings),

ships (syuhn), utensils such as forks (cha)
and knives (dou), or songs (go), etc.
Gihn 1!f: for clothes (scam) and individual garments

such as suit (sci jong)
Cheut ttl for movies (hei)
Fohn fn for newspapers (boji), job (gung)
Deui lj a pair, e .g . of shoes (yet deui haaih)
20
C J.,apterZ
2.3 Ordinal Numbers
When a cardinal number is preceded by "Daih," it becomes an

ordinal.
Daih yat the first
Daih yih the second
.. . and so on.
In order to say the equivalent of "the first one/ piece/ etc." in

Cantonese you add the appropriate classifier after the ordinal :
e .g. Daih yih tiuh (kwohn) The second one (dress)
Daih sei jek (syuhn) The fourth one (ship)
This means that, in Cantonese, the word "one" in the sentence

"the first one" will always be the classifier relevant to the noun
you are talking about.
2.
,, ___................... ~ ....
~-
21
No Swe<Jf C<Jnfonese
2.4 Specifiers and Money Terms
Specifiers :
Specifiers indicate to a particular noun (singular or plural

form) that you may be pointing to.
Ni-go this (one) 11Ft11

Ni-di these (ones) llftQ¥1
G6-go that (one) PlmliJ
G6-di those (ones) PI!@
Money terms:
The word "go" is also used when talking about money. To
-·=•flY.
begin with :
10 cents
20 cents
yet houh
*leuhng houh
JJ.j.
30 cents scam houh
40 cents sei houh
dollar man ~
half bun
*
*20 cents is read as "leuhng houh" rather than "yih houh"
(i .e . a pair x 10 cents, and not 2 x 10 cents) .
Leuhng is also used for telling the time as well. Details will be
discussed in a later chapter.
22
Chapter 2
We use "go" to express amounts of money with decimal places:
$7.50 Chat go bun

$11.40 Sohp yat go sei
$30.20 Saom sohp go llhng yih
How did that go again?
The formula:
number of dollars + decimal (go) + number of nhouh"
1. Think of "go" as the decimal point.

2 . Build the number by saying the number of dollars + "go"
+ the number of "houh" (tens of cents) .
3 . Omit the number of dollars (i .e. just say "go" + number of
"houh") if the number of whole dollars is one :
$1 .20 Goyih (the number "1" can be omitted)
4. If the number of dollars is a multiple of ten ($1 0, $20, $30

etc .) put lihng (0) after the word "go" :
$30 .20 Scam sahp go lihng yih
5. The unit for dollar (man) must be used if the amount of

money is in whole dollars :
$30 Scam sahp man
23
No Swei/t Ciinfonese
To sum up:
0 $1.50
$2.30
Go bun
Leuhng go scam
11$
~11=
$2.40 Leuhng go sei ~111m
$79 Chat sohp g6u t::+1l
$25.40 Yih sohp ngh go sei =+nilll!l
Estimates :
When estimating amounts, substitute the word " gei" for the
number you ore uncertain about:
$1 ? Sohp ge i man ten odd dollars +~~

$ ?0 Gei sohp man several tens of dollars ~+~
$1?? Book gei man hundred someth ing dollars 8~~
$?00 Gei book man several hundreds of dollars ~8~
$1 ,??? Chin gei man thousand something dollars =f~~
$? ,??0 Gei chin man several thousands of dollars ~=f~
$1 ?,??? Moohn gei
man
ten thousand something
dollars
-~~
$ ??,??0 Gei moohn
man
several tens of thousands
of dollars ~-~
24
Chap-ter 2.
Practice :
Try to pronounce these on your own, then listen to the answer

on the tape :
a) $1.30 d) $1.50
b) $2 .80 e) $40.20
c) $130 f) $600
Congratulations! You 've mastered the basics of Cantonese. See,

no sweat!
Now you ' re ready to learn to speak Cantonese in a variety of

everyday situations. Turn the page and have fun!
25
Topics
No Swe<tf C<tnfonese
Chit Chat (11ft~) kinggai
Nationalities <m1J6) gwok jihk :
Name or Verb "to be" Nationality

pronoun ?
haih II{*
Ng6h fl (is, am, are) JOnggwok yahn tPmiA
{I) (Chinese)
haih
Tim Yinggwok yahn iQmiA
(British)
haih
Robert Oi yi laahn yahn fifllill
{Irish)
haih
Tara Meih gwok yahn ~m1A
(American)
haih
Barry Ganahdaaih yahn
(Canadian)
haih
Renate Dak gwok yahn ~m1A
(German)
haih
Hayashida Yaht bun yahn BztiA
(Japanese)
haih
Ram Yon douh yahn EOliA
{Ind ian)
haih
Sophie Foal gwok yahn 5fim11A
(French)
haih
Julian Lauhsailaahn yahn fmil§ifliA
(New Zealander)
haih
Leslie Ou jau yahn itfJHHA
(Australian)
30
Chap-ter 3 t=.ree-tinc,s
Languages (~~) yuh yihn :
Neih
(you)
sik
(can)
g6ng
(speck)
Gw6ngdung w<i
111m~
(Cantonese)
0
fffi iii 61
P6utung w<i (Mandarin)
MD~
Yingm<in (English)
e.g. 145<
Richard sik g6ng
Ychtm<in (Japanese)
8)(
Hohngm<in (Korean)
M><
Oakman (German)
fi)(
Factm<in (French)
>n><
31
No 5we<Jt C<Jntonese
0 Professions (llfi~) jik yihp:
Leuht si f!Bili Lawyer
·~
Gfng cheat Police
Yf sang gg: Doctor
GOng chihng si I~Bili Engineer
Sip yfng si -~Bili Photographer
Ging leih ~~II Manager
Ch6i kau ging leih tl*III~~JI Purchasing
Manager
Wuih gai si ·~Bili Accountant
L6uh boon ~lf~X Boss
Haahng gaai fjffj Sales
Sfh cheuhng teui i'fHJUft Iii Marketing
gw6ng
Gei je ~~ Journalist
L6uh si ~Bili Teacher
Fu jung choih iiiUfl!ii Vice President
Sou jihk jyu joih §00111£ Chief Representative
yuhn ~
Hung je ~rm Flight attendant
Gei si IIIBili Pilot
Gei jeung ~~~~ Captain
Chit gai si ~~Bifi Designer
Gw6ng gou rli3 Advertising
Mouh dahk yih 9!~~ Model
Yin yuhn jiif~ ActorI Actress
32
CJ.,ap-ter 3 C.reetif14s
Conventions for greetings :
1. In the morning, we greet someone with "J6u sahn " or " Neih
h6u" and you should reply with the same phrase to be polite.
2 . Nowadays, in the afternoon , instead of saying "ngh on, "

which is more formal , we use the colloquial way of greeting,
"sihk j6 faahn meih a? " which means " have you eaten?" in
English . This especially applies to greeting your colleagues or
friends .
3 . In Cantonese, the greeting expression " j6u tau " means "good
night" in English and is used before bedtime.
4 . " Do jeh" is used to express your thanks for a gift, money or

gratitude for some special favour, compliments and invitations,
etc . " Mh goi" is used when tea or some other object e .g
cigarettes (a favorite of Ch inese businessmen) is offered .
Alternatively, you say " Mh goi" to thank someone for his or
her service. For example, after your hair is done at the salon,
you should say " Mh goi" to the stylist. However, if they ask
you for $300 for the bill, they have to say " Do jeh" and not
"Mh goi ." The most common way of answering " Do jeh" or
"Mh goi" is "Mh sci," wh ich means " it' s my pleasure" or " not
at all. "
5 . " Deui mh jyuh" or "Mh h6u yi si " are expressions for apolo -
gizing and are both equivalent to the English "sorry." However,
"Mh h6u yi si " is only used for minor apologies; for example,
when you step lightly on someone's foot or elbow someone
in the MTR. " Deui mh jyuh" is used to apologise for more
serious offenses, e .g . if you break someone ' s Japanese
camera . Then you should say " Deui mh jyuh" because cam-
eras are usually expensive . In response to both of the above
expressions, we use "Mh gan yiu," which means " never mind"
or " it doesn 't matter."
33
6 . The phrase "Neih h6u me? " translates as "how are you ."
However, the correct way to respond to the local Chinese is
"Youh sam" (you are kind to ask, literally "you have a heart")
and not "Do jeh" or "Mh goi ."
7 . The word "Mh goi" can be translated as "please" or "excuse

me" and can be put before or after questions or requests to
make them more polite.
8 . In Cantonese, we simply use "me," "a" or "go " at the end of

a sentence to indicate that it is a question. E.g . "Neih h6u
me? " The word "me" is a question word and simply means
"?" (see 0 .1).
9 . There is another subtle difference to watch out for :
Neih h6u me? means "how are you?"

Neih dfm a? also means "how are you? "
but in an informal way, i.e you already know that person . It

is similar to the greeting "How's it going? " in English.
10. The word "ne" means "how about" in English . E.g "How
about Patrick? " is translated as "Patrick ne? "
11 . "La " is a particle placed at the end of the sentence that

ind icates the development of a new situation . e .g sihk j6 Ia .
(from not eaten to eaten) - It's been eaten .
34
Chapter 3
B. Chit Chat
1. A businessman greets a client in the meeting room.

B: Businessman (seung yahn) C : Client (hook)
B: J6u sahn .
(Good morning .)
C: J6u sahn .
(Good morning .)
B: Neih h6u ma?

(How are you?)
C: Ng6h h6u, yauh sam, neih ne?

(I am fine, thanks, and you?)
B: Ng6h h6u, yauh sam .

(I ' m fine, thank you .)
2 . Self-introduction .
A: Siu je, gwai sing a?

(Excuse me, miss/madam . What's your surname?)
B: Ng6h sing Leuhng . Neih ne?

(My surname is Leung . How about you?)
A: Ng6h sing Schumann . Leuhng siu je neih h6u .

(My surname is Schumann . Nice to meet you, Miss
Leung .)
B: Schumann sin saang neih h6u .

(Nice to meet you, Mr. Schumann .)
35
No Swe<1f C<infonese
In Chinese, businessmen and others who engage in formal con -

versation address each other by their surnames first , followed
by the appropriate title (Ms. Mr., Dr.).
r
3. Introducing another person .
A: Dang ng6h laih gaai siuh . Ni wei haih Ziemann

slnsoang .
(Let me introduce. This is Mr. Ziemann .)
B: Ziemann slnsoang neih h6u .

(Nice to meet you , Mr. Ziemann .)
A: Ziemann slnsoang haih Ylnggwok yahn . Keuih slk

gong Ylngman tuhng Gw6ngdung we .
(Mr. Ziemann is English . He can speak English and
Cantonese .)
4 . Chatting informally with colleagues .

Lauren is chatting with Mike in the office.
L: Neih h6u, Mike. Neih sihk j6 foehn meih a?

(Hello, Mike, have you eaten?)
M: Sihk j6 Ia.
(I have eaten already.)
L: Hoi bin douh a?

(Whereabouts?)
M: Hoi Yuhng Gei.

(At Yung Kee.)
36
CJ.,ap-ter 3
5 . In the elevator.
A: Siu je, ngoh bong neih Ia?

(Miss, allow me to help you.)
B: Mh goi.
(Thank you .)
A: Siu je, neih giu mat yeh menQ a?

(Miss, what is your name?)
B: Ngoh giu Kathie.

(My name is Kathie.)
A: Neih jouh bin hohng go?

(What do you do?)
B: Ngoh haih Leuhtsl.

(I am a Lawyer.)
A: Neih hou.
(Nice to meet you .)
B: Neih hou .
(Nice to meet you.)
6. Romance .
Anthony is chatting with Debbie, a Eurasian .
A: Siu je, neih slk rhh slk gong Gwongdung w6 a?

(Miss, can you speak Cantonese?)
D: Sik, ngoh slk gong Gwongdung w6 .

(Yes, I can speak Cantonese.)
A: Siu je, neih giu mat yeh meng a?

(What is your name, Miss?)
37
N o Sweii f Ciinfonese
D: Ng6h giu Debbie. Neih ne?

(My nome is Debbie. How about you?)
A: Ng6h giu Anthony. Neih di Gw6ngdung wa h6u h6u wo.

Ng6h h6 mh h6 yi cheng neih yam yeh a?
(Anthony. You speak Cantonese very well! Con I buy you
a drink?)
D: Gam ... h6u a.

(Well ... ok.)
A: Gam, Debbie . Neih yauh m6uh naohm pahng yauh a?

(Well, Debbie. Do you hove a boyfriend?)
D: Yauh!
(Yes, I do!) '
......_.....---'iA~:.:=---:z
•
.. CHINESE ROMANCE
Chinese women are generally more passive than western women

in starting a relationship. Some are more "mysterious:" in other
words, hide their feelings and are less straightforward than
western women. And they tend to appreciate a patient and hon-
est man. Therefore, if you try to buy her a drink in a bar or osk
for a date and are turned down by her, it doesn't necessarily
mean she wants to be rude or discouraging to you . Her behav-
ior may be due to cultural difference instead .
38
Chapter 3
7 . Saying goodbye.
A: Do jeh neih cheng ng6h sihk faahn .

(Thank you for inviting me for dinner.)
B: Mh sai.
(It's my pleasure.)
A: Baai baai .
(Goodbye .)
B: Baai baai .
(Goodbye .)
C. One-liners
Fill in the blanks with information about yourself.
1. Cheng mahn gwai sing a?

(May I ask what your surname is?)
2 . Ng6h sing (surname).

(My surname is .)
3. Neih giu mat yeh meng a?

(What is your name?)
4 . Ng6h giu (name).

(My name is .)
5 . Neih jouh bin hohng a?

(What do you do?)
6. Ng6h haih (profession).

Ng6h jouh (business fielclj .
(My profession is .)
39
No 5we<J t C<Jn tonese
7. Neih sik gong mot yeh we a?

(What languages can you speak?)
8 . Ngoh sik gong (language) .

(I can speak .)
9. Ni go haih ngoh koat pin .

(This is my name card.)
1O.Neih sik mh sik (Robert) a?

(Do you know (Robert)?)
ll .Neih haih mh haih (Yinggwok) yahn a?

(Are you from (England)?)
12.Neih sik mh sik gong (Gwongdung we) a?

(Can you speak (Cantonese)?
13 .Yeuh mouh yahn sik gong Gwongdung we a?

(Is there anyone who can speak Cantonese?)
14.Ngoh cheng neih sihk faahn Ia.

(Let me take you out for lunch/dinner.)
THE RITUAL OF FIGHTING OVER THE BILL

....
At both informal and formal dinners between business
associates, you will often see businessmen get into frightfully
loud arguments over who gets to pay. They are not really fighting;
this is the Chinese way of giving the other person face by letting
him pay for the meal. Or, conversely, of saving face by grabbing
the bill out of the other person 's hands. Meanwhile, the wait-
ress will stand smilingly to the side and enjoy the show!
40
••
CJ,ap-ter 3
D. Grammatical Notes
1 . Final particles:
Cantonese has a number of particles that are used to express
mood . They are placed at the end of a sentence. The use of a
different particle at the end of sentence changes the meaning
of the sentence, even though all of the other words may be the
same. While English speakers use voice inflection to change
the connotation of a sentence, Cantonese speakers use indi-
vidual particles.
Here are some of the most common particles:
1. [l!2f "a " is used at the end of a yes-or-no question,

and can also mean "?" at the end of other
sentences.
e.g. Neih slk mh slk Eric a?
(Do you know Eric?)
2. Dffl " Ia" is used when you invite or suggest people

to do certain things.
e.g . Ng6h deih heui sihk faahn Ia.
(Let's go to have dinner.)
3. 11Ft "ne" means "how about" in English .

e.g . Peter ne?
(How about Peter?)
4. Ill "Ia" implies changing the situation .

e.g . Ng6h sihk j6 faahn Ia .
(I have eaten .)
41
No Swe:;t C:;ntonese
2 . Yes/No questions and answers :

"Mh" is a negating word and is always placed before the noun
or adjective to make it negative.
e .g . Ngoh sik gong Gwongdung w6.

(I know how to speak Cantonese.)
Ng6h mh sik gong Footman .

(I don 't know how to speak French .)
One way to build a yes-or-no question is to use this simple

formula :
(Addressee) +verb/adjective + mh+verb/adjectiye +a?
e .g . Neih sihk mh sihk aan a?

(you) (eat) (not) (eat lunch) (Question word)?
= Are you going to eat lunch?
g "Sihk aan " means eat lunch. Remember to only take the
first syllable to make up a yes-or-no question, i.e. "sihk mh
sihk aan" and NOT "sihk aan mh sihk aan ."
e .g . Seung mh seung yet chaih sihk aan a?

(wont) (or not wont) (together) (eat lunch/ oction)(Question word)?
= Want to eat lunch together?
Here are some other examples.
Tip: To form a
Neih sik mh sik wohng siu je a? quest ion, only re-
(Do you know Miss Wong?) peat the first syllable
of the verb/ adjective
before "Mh", i.e !1Q!
Neih haih mh haih Ganahdaaih yahn a? sik gong Mh sik
(Are you from Canada?) gong , but rather sik
Mh sik gong .
Neih sik mh sik gong Yahtm6n a?

(Can you speak Japanese?)
42
CAap-ter 3 c=.ree-tinc.s
To change a Cantonese statement involving the verb "to have"

(Y6uh) or the phrase "There is/are," use this formula :
(Addressee/Pronoun) + yauh m6uhg + noun + a?

e .g. Neih y6uh m6uh sinsoang a?
(you) (have) (nat have)(husband) (Question word)?
= Do you have a husband?
Y6uh m6uh Gw6ngdOngw6 syu a?

(have) (not have)(Cantonese book) (Question word)?
= Do you have a Cantonese book?
~ "Yciuh" mean~
Y6uh m6uh sip ying si a? '' to have" and
"M6uh" means
(have) (not have)(photographer)(Question word)?
" not have; "
= Are there any photographers? never say " Mh
~auhl "
Answering a Yes-or-no question
In English, we can simply say "yes" or "no" for an answer. In

Cantonese, however, our answer to the question depends on
the verb/adjective used in the question.
e .g. Neih haih rhh haih gei je a?

(Are you the journalist?)
Yes = Haih (literally: Yes, I am)
No = Mh haih (literally: No, I'm not)
Neih sik rhh sik g6ng Yingm6n a?

(Can you speak English?)
Yes = Sik (literally: Yes, I can)
No = Mh sik (literally: No, I can't)
Neih yauh m6uh neuih pohng y6uh a?

(Do you have a girlfriend?)
Yes: Y6uh (literally: Yes, I have)
No: M6uh (literally: No, I don't have)
43
3 . Chinese names :
Chinese names are made up of 2, 3 or even 4 syllables and
they follow a structure that is different from that of English names.
The surname always comes before the given names, which is
the opposite of how names are said and written in English .
Addressing people by their titles follows the same structure.
e.g . Leuhng Wai-wai ' s surname is Leung and her given

names are Wai-wai.
"Leuhng sin saang" is a gentlemen whose surname is
11
leung ."
" Leuhng sfu je'' is a lady whose surname is "Leung".
Some people's surnames have two syllables, e .g . the surname

"Si-touh" (Seto/Szeto) .
...~!Jc:
.::·:=k!!i•~------••-.
. While addressing your own wife, it is common to use "toai t6ai "
or "16uh p6h ." However, you may also come across the word
"jyu faahn p6" (literally, "rice-cooking woman"). This used to
mean "housewife" in Cantonese. Nowadays, since women ore
. _....._____
pervasive throughout the business world in Hong Kong, this
phrase may no longer be appreciated!
When addressing a woman and you are not sure whether
she is married or single, it is better to say "siu je'' (Miss) to her.
Otherwise you might offend her, for even though she may be
over 50 years old she may still be single .
,___~~
5. Cheng :
The verb "Cheng" means " please" or "to invite" in different
contexts.
e .g . Ng6h cheng neih sihk faahn.

(I'll invite you to a meal.)
Cheng ch6h Ia .
(Please take a seat.)
44
CAap-ter 3
5. Personal Pronouns :
Cantonese personal pronouns are as follows :
Ng6h lorme
Neih you
Keuih he, him, she, her or it
However, when the particle "deih" is added after a personal

pronoun, it makes that pronoun plural :
Ng6h deih we or us
Neih deih you (plural)
Keuih deih they or them
6. Gwok:
The word "gwok" means "country."
e.g. Ylng gwok iQiil England
Meih gwok ~- U.S.A
Hohng gwok filii Korea
However, the names of some countries do not use "gwok" at

all.
e .g. Toih wean Taiwan
Yi daaih leih Italy
The exchange af business cards (Kaat pin) is normal practice for

businessmen in Hang Kong . The correct way ta offer and re-
r
ceive a card is with both hands, fallowed by a handshake. Also
expect to pass and receive a credit card the same way, but don't
._---··---··
expect a handshake far this .
45
4 Physical Appearance
A. Lingo
Gou iii tall

Ng6i M short
Feih II! fat
Sou
L6uh
Hauh saang
•
~
~g:
thin
old (age)
young
Leng (neui/j6i) IHtl/G) pretty/handsome
Gwong tauh ~f.~ bald
Tauh foot Hflfi hair
Cheuhng tauh foot {§Hflfi long hair
Dyun tauh foot ~Hflfi short hair
Lyun II curly
Jihk fi straight
Daai m wear
Ng6ahn geng 691ft
•••
glasses
,.
Sou beard
Wuh sou moustache
Waahng broad shoulders
Ng6ahn 09
•
eye
Beih nose
T6uh n6ahm lttOi tummy
~-
Daaih jek big build/well built
Sai lap MIIJll small figure
47
B. Chit Chat
1 . Is Stefan tall?
A: Stefan gou rhh gou a?
(Is Stefan tall?)
B: Gou .
(Yes.)
2 . Is Chris fat?
A: Chris feih rhh feih a?
(Is Chris fat?)
B: Mh feih .
(No.)
3 . Tall or short?
A: John gou dihng ngai a?
(Is John tall or short?)
B: Gou/ngai .
(Tall/short.)
4 . Fat or thin?
A: Keuih feih dihng sou a?
(Is he/she fat or thin?)
B: Feih/sau .
(Fat/thin.)
5 . Does lan wear glasses?

A: ian yauh m6uh daai ngaahn geng a?
(Does lan wear glasses?)
B: Yauh . (Yes.)
M6uh . (No.)
48
Chap-ter <f Physical Appearance
6 . What does Ray look like?

A : Ray dim yeung go?
(What does Ray look like?)
B: Keuih gou gou sou sou, y6uh wuh sou .

(He is tall and thin and has a beard.)
7. Who is taller?
A : Bob gou di dihng Ray~ a?
(Who is taller, Bob or Ray?)
B: Bob gou di.

(Bob is taller.)
C. One-liners
1. Craig h6u gou .
(is very) (tall)
gei sou.
(is quite) (thin)
mhhaih gei lou h.

(is not too) (old)
2. Niko h6u leng j6i.

(is very) (handsome)
3 . Sara h6u leng neui .

(is very) (pretty)
4. Keuih h6u daaih jek.

(He/ She) (is very) (well built)
5 . Mary h6u sai lap.

(has a very) (small figure)
49
No 5we;Jt C;Jntonese
6. Keuih mh leng.
(He/she) (is) (not pretty)
7. Barry h6u waahng .

(has very) (broad shoulders)
8. Julia cheuhng tauh foot.

(has) (long hair)
9. Lisa jihk tauh foot.

(has) (straight hair)
10. Andrew yauh/m6uh [wuh] sou .

(has/ ([a moustache] a beard)
doesn't have)
11 . Tim yauh daaih t6uh naahm .

(has) (a big tummy)
12 . Debra ngaahn daaih daaih .

(has) (big eyes)
13. Gary beih gou gou.

(has) (a long nose)
14. Keuih sou di.

(He I She) (is) (skinnier)
50
C!,apter if Physical Appearance
1. "Name Adverb - Noun" statements:

One way to describe a person is to use this simple formula:
Nome or pronoun +adverb + noun/adjective
e.g . Sara h6u lengneui.

(Sara is very pretty)
2 . "Pronoun-verb-noun Rhrgse" statement :

Another way to describe people is to use the verb "have" as
follows:
Pronoun + verb + noun phrase
e.g Keuih y6uh daai ng6ahngeng .

(He/She wears glasses)
3 . Yes-or-no Questions:
This simple formula from the previous chapter con also be
used to discuss people's appearance :
Addressee+ verb/adjective+ mh +verb/adjective+ a?

/pronoun
e.g . A: Keuih leng mh leng a?

(Is she pretty?)
B: Leng. (Yes)
Mh leng . (No.)
e.g . A : Janet ge touhfaat cheuhng mh cheuhng a?

(Is Janet's hair )Qng?)
B: Cheuhng . (Yes)
Mh cheuhng. (No)
51
No Swe<1f C<infonese
4 Dihng (Choice-type questions)·

To make a choice, we use "or" in English , which is the same as
"Dihng" in Cantonese.
e .g. A: Anthony gou dihng ngc'Ji a?

(Is Anthony tall or short?)
B: Gou/ngai .
(Tall/ short)
e.g . A: Bob yauh sou dihng wuh sou a?

(Does Bob have a beard or a moustache?)
B: Sou/wuh sou .
(Beard/moustache.)
5 "Pronoun-verb± verb-noun" questions·

Remember, when "yauh m6uh" is used to ask the question, we
must answer either "yauh" or "m6uh," not" haih "or "Mh
haih ."
e .g. A: Michelle yauh m6uh daai ngaahn geng a?

(Does Michelle wear glasses?)
B: Yauh. (Yes)
M6uh. (No)
6 Comparatives·
"Di" means "more" in English . It is a comparative and is
placed after the adjective. For example, "h6u" means "good"
in English, "h6u di" means better.
e.g . leng (pretty) leng di (prettier)
ngc'Ji (short) ngc'Ji di (shorter)
52
CAapter '-1- Physical Appecrance
7 . "Go" :
"Go" is a final particle that replaces "a " when it is not a
simple question .
e .g . Susan dim yeung go?

{What does Susan look like?)
• ANIMAL LIKENESS
Like English speakers, Cantonese speakers also use idioms to

describe people by associating them with certain animals:
1. sheep (yeuhngl: innocent person

2. monkey (m6h lou): skinny person
3. wolf (lohng) : desperate person.
e .g sik lohng : rapist
4. pig (jyO): lot person
5. cow (ngauh) : hard working person .
53
5 Transportation:
Going fo Work anti Going Ouf
A. Lingo
Heui n to go
Che m car/a form of
transportation
Dik si ~± taxi
Syuhn M ferry
Basi ~± bus
Deih tit ttl! II Mass Transit
Railway (MTR)
Gou gong tit louh 11/lllllm Kowloon-Canton
Railway (KCR)
F6 che *ii train
Siu ba JJ\~ mini bus
Dihn che ill§ tram
Haahng louh film to walk
Ja che :mm to drive
Gei cheuhng faai sin 1111JM1UI Airport Express
Laahm che
Fei gei
•m
¥11111
Peak tram
plane
Choai dean che ~mm to ride a bike
Yatgojung -Mil one hour
Yih sahp fan jung =+Bil 20 minutes
Bun go jung =Filii half an hour
Jeui
Fongbihn •
7Jit
the most
convenient
55
No Swe<1 t C<in tonese
IQ Gei yuhn ~!I how for

Miuh gooi filii Temple Street
Neuih yon gooi tlAii Lady's market
Dim IS how
Jciu bo ~UP:! pub
Gooi hciu iiD intersection
Dong wcii mm traffic light
Boon mcih sin ~I ~It pedestrian crossing
THE OCTOPUS CARD

...
Hong Kong has an excellent public transport system that is linked by
one common method of payment: the Octopus card. A small mag-
netic card the size of a credit card, it can be "recharged" and is a
very versatile product indeed. You only need to pay $50 deposit for
it.
The multipurpose Octopus card is called "boot dooht tong" in
Cantonese, which literally means "all eight arrive in connection. "
There's no need to toke it out of your wallet when you get on the bus
or go through the turnstiles; the cord con be read by the machine
through your wallet or even handbag, thus eliminating the need to
fumble for money and tickets, as well as the chances of not having
the right change.
The Octopus cord con be recharged at any MTR station and at
convenience stores such as Circle K and 7 -Eleven . In some places
you con even purchase other items with the money stored on the
cord : a drink, bogs of groceries, even a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
56
Cf.,ap-ter 5 Transporta-tion
Jyun yauh
Jihk heui
.tt.E
Common directions (]JrQJ) fong heung:
Jyun j6
lin
turn left
turn right
go straight
0
Tihng ~ stop
Ni-douh !Ft§f here
G6-douh PI Of there
Chihn mihn }lOilj before/in front of/
Gwo j6 Yllltc just ahead
~ after/passing by
B. Chit Chat
1. A: Nicola jyuh hoi bin-douh a?

Literally, "Nicola lives where?"
(Where does Nicola live?)
B: Keuih jyuh hoi JOngwaahn.

(She lives in Central.)
2 . A: Brian gei dim jong faan gOng a?

Literally, "Brian what time ga fa work?"
(What time will Brian go to work?)
B: Keuih boat dim faan gOng .

(He goes to work at Sam.)
3 . A: Alan daap mat yeh che faangOng a?

Literally, Alan fakes which car fo go fo work?
(What transport does Alan take to go to work?)
B: Keuih ja che faan gOng.

(He drives to work)
57
No 5wei/f Ci!nfonese
4 . A: Mark daap gei noih syuhn a?

Literally, "Mark takes how long boat?"
(How long does Mark's ferry take to get here/there?)
B: Sei sahp fan jung .

(40 minutes .)
FERRIES
There are two main types of ferries in Hong Kong. The first is
the cross-harbor ferry, more famously known as the Star Ferry,
which takes you from the Tsim Sha Tsui Pier to Central and
Wanchai or from Central's Star Ferry Pier to Tsim Sha Tsui East.
There is also a ferry line from Wanchai Ferry Pier to Tsim Sha
Tsui East. The Star Ferry is one of the best and cheapest ways
to appreciate the everchanging Hong Kong skyline from a farm
of transport that seems timeless.
The second main type of ferry takes you to the Outlying
Islands - Cheung Chou, Lamma, Lantau -,which have become
popular residential areas for many adventurous expatriates
looking for a cheaper place to live. The ferries depart mainly
from the Outlying Islands Ferry Pier just a few minutes further
out from Exchange Square (the main bus terminus) and Cen-
tral/Hong Kong Station (MTR) . You can take a trip on one of
these boats to see a completely different aspect of life away
from the busy city.
58
Chapter 5 Traf15porta-tion
•• TRAMS
Trams first started running in Hong Kong in 1904. Tromlines

trace the route of Hong Kong's coastl ine from that period .
Originally, the routes of the trams ron over several bridges, for
instance at Conal Rood . Nowadays, all the canals and rivers
hove been reclaimed .
Taking a tram ride around Hong Kong is one of the best
things to do, as you con experience real local life for a few
minutes, or for hours on end if you like, for the neat sum of only
HK$2 per ride. The drawback is the summer heat, which you will
hove to bear in the lock of air-conditioning . But the scenery and
the uniqueness of the experience more than make up for this.
We call the tram "ding ding," which is the sound it makes.
The best time of day for a tram ride is at night, when the wind
con cool you off and the city lights con be enjoyed at a leisurely
5. A: Leuhng sfu je, neih dim faan gung go?

(Ms. Leung , how do you get to work?)
B: Ng6h jyuh h6i Jim sa jeui . Ng6h h6i Taai Gu Sihng

faangung . Daap deihtit h6u fong bihn, bun go jung
jauh faan dou gung si. Neih ne?
(I live in Tsim Sha Tsui. I work at Taikoo Shing . Tak
ing the MTR is very convenient. It only takes me half an
hour to get to work. How about you?)
A: Ng6h daap dihn che faan gung. Yauh Waan J6i ji

Jung Waahn ll haih sahp fan jung, che fai h6u pehng
go!
(I take the tram to work. It only takes me 10 minutes to
get from Wanchai to Central, and it's very cheap!)
59
No Sweilf Ciinfonese
C. One-liners
" 1.
2.
3.
Miuh gaai hoi bin douh a?
(Where is Temple Street?)
Daap dik sf h6u di.

(It's better to take a taxi.)
Yauh Miuh gaai ji Neuih Yen Gaai yiu gei yuhn a?

(How far is it from Temple Street to Lady's market?)
4. Neuih yen gaai fuh gahn yauh m6uh book fo gung si

a?
(Are there any department stores near Lady' s market?)
5. Sfu sam pah sou.

(Beware of pickpockets.)
6. Mh goi, gei chin a?

(Thank you . How much is it?)
7. Mh sci jaau.
(Keep the change.)
8. Ng6h deih heui bin douh a?

(Where shall we go?)
9. Heui jau ba Ia .
(Lets go to the pub.)
10. Mh g6i daai Ng6h heui g6 douh Ia.

(Take me that way. please.)
11 . Jyun j6 yihn hauh jihk heui.

(Turn left and then go straight ahead .)
12. Gwo j6 Miuh gaai tihng .

(Stop after Temple Street.)
60
CJ.,ap-ter 5 Transporta-tion
13. Neuih yon giiai chlhn mihn tlhng .

literally, "lady's Market in front of stop."
(Stop in front of Lady's market.)
14. Dang wei chlhn mihn tlhng

(Stop before the traffic light.)
15. Gaai hau tlhng .

(Stop at the intersection .)
16. Chlhn mihn yauh lohk .

literally, "/ have to get off iust ahead. "
(Stop just ahead .)
MINIBUSES
There are twa types af minibuses in Hang Kong . Both are

painted yellow and have about 16 seats . You may have to
look carefully to spat the English language destination name .
The most common type has a re d roof and follows a fixed
route, but stops wherever you want to get off. In order Ia let
the driver know you need Ia get aff, just yell "(place] + y6uh
lohk," e .g . "Gaai hau yauh lohk" (Stop at the intersection)
or "Bean mah si n yauh lohk" (Stop at the pede strian
crossing) . The driver will indicate he has heard by raising his
hand . In order to get on a passing minibus, wave it down like
you would a taxi.
The second type usually has a green roof. These follow
a fixed route but stop only at designated minibus stops, just
like a large bus.
61
1 . "Take":
When talking about transportation, the word "take" has two
equivalents in Cantonese:
a. "Daap" means "take" in the sense of "using a form of

transportation :"
e .g. Daap che (take a taxi, take a form of transporta-
tion rather than walk)
b. "Daai" means "take" in the sense of "bringing you to a

place."
e .g. Daai [ng6h) heui gei chiwhng .
(take [me) to the airport.)
2 . Ylhn hauh :
a . The phrase "ylhn hauh" links actions or sequences in
time :
e .g. Heui Mah Sa ylhn hauh heui gei cheuhng .
(Go to Marks & Spencer and then go to the airport.)
b. When you want to link objects, use "tuhng" instead :

e .g. Ng6h yiu go fe tuhng do si.
(I want coffee and toast.)
3. Faan vs . Heui :
a. The word "faan" means go in English, but it only applies
to go to work (faan gung) , go to school (faan hohk)
and go home (faan uk kei) .
b. Otherwise we use the verb "heui," for example, in the

phrase heui gei cheuhng (go to the airport).
Heui + noun
e.g. Alice ja che heui gei cheuhng
(Alice is driving (to go) to the airport.)
62
Chap-ter 5 Transporta-tion
Heui + verb + noun
e .g. John heui ch6ai doan che .

(John is going biking .)
Heui +verb
e.g . Lahm t6ai heui Neuih yon goai.

(Mrs. Lam is going to Lady's market.)
4 . Question words:
Question words in English, such as "what," "which" and "how"
correspond in Cantonese to Mot, Bin and Gei . They can be
followed by classifiers to form the other question words, e.g .
"who" and "when ," as well as some other ones that only exist
in Cantonese.
a. Mot means "what," which is a question word usually

followed by "yeh" and a noun .
e.g . Neih giu mot yeh meng a?
b. Bin can be followed by various words.

(i) Bin go means "which person/object," i.e.
"who" or "which ."
e .g . A: Keu ih haih bin go a?
(Who is he/she?)
B: Keuih haih Tom .

(He is Tom .)
However, the polite way to say which person is

"bin wOi ."
e .g . A: Bin -w6i haih Chahn sfu je a?
(Who is Miss Chan?)
B: Ni w6i haih Chahn sfu je.

{This is Miss Chan)
63
No 5we<Jt C<Jnfonese
(ii) Bin douh means "where." Since "douh" is the pro

noun of a place, bin douh literally means "which
place."
e .g . Neih hoi bin douh a?
(Where are you?)
(iii) Bin + Classifier means "which one," but you

need to add the proper classifier for the particular
object. As there are so many classifiers for different
objects, "go" is recommended as the general
classifier for the convenience of non-mother
tongue Cantonese speakers .
But if you want to speak like a local, just
follow these examples:
e.g. "goon" is the classifier for buildings
Bin goon jau dim?
(Which hotel?)
e.g "go" is the classifier for cars

Bin go che a ?
(Which car?)
The full list of classifiers can be found in Chapter 2.2.
c. Gei means "how" and can be used as follows :

(i) Gei do means "how much" or "how many."
e.g. Gei do wei a?
(How many persons?)
(ii) Gei noih means "how long ."

e .g. Gei noih dou Heung Gong a?
(How long does it take to get to Hong Kong?)
(iii) Gei sih means "when ."

e.g . Neih gei sih dou Heung Gong a?
(When will you arrive in Hong Kong?)
64
Ct,apter 5 Transporta-tion
5 . Hoi :
" Hoi" means " at" or "in" and marks location . We usually put it
before the noun .
e.g. Ng6h ho i Gou Gong tit louh jouh yeh .

(pronoun)(at) (place) (action)
(I work at KCRC- Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation .)
e.g. Ng6h hoi ok kei .

(I am at home .)
65
J,
6 Around the home
A. Lingo
Laahp soap d6i tn:t~U~ rubbish bag

Dihn sih
•m TV
~·
••
Hook teng living room
Foehn teng dining room
Seuih f6ng ll!IH~ bedroom
F6ng ~ room
·~
Syuf6ng study
Chung leuhng f6ng )lll>m~ bathroom
Chi s6 IIJJifi toilet
Deih louh tt!!JI basement
Che fohng m~ garage
Fa yun ltiJ garden
Keh lou !11111 balcony
S6 sih
Kap chohn gei
•Mtlllll
tt key
vacuum cleaner
Sai yi gei >S\:nlll washing machine
Chohng lffi bed
Furniture Cil'fWA) ga sB
Cheung lim iiB/11 curtain

Dihn w6 .65 telephone
Muhn ~ door
So fa lmfft sofa
Chah gei ~fl coffee table
Syo go .M bookcase
Deih jin tt!!ft carpet
Dang m lamp
67
No Swe;Jt C;Jntonese
··~~i~·&T•~,:~====~..~......_.._
RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN HONG KONG
Hong Kong is one of the most expensive places in the world to

live as the very limited amount of usable land tends to cause
property to be very highly priced . To balance that, food, trans-
port and clothing are relatively cheap if you know where to go.
Indeed, a high lox threshold and a low tax rote ore among the
most attractive reasons for overseas entrepreneurs to set up
business in Hong Kong .
Because of the lock of space, most Hong Kongers live in
high-rises, in apartments that range, from a western perspective,
between very cramped, to compact, depending on the budget.
More affluent people prefer living in duplex or triplex apartments
or even in houses with gardens, but that is extremely costly here.
Some people prefer to live in villages surrounded by the lush
subtropical environment found on the Outlying Islands. Apart-
ments and small houses there ore often on offer at on afford-
able rote.
Popular residential areas for expatriates ore :

Green rural environment
Lontou Island (particularly Discovery Boy), Lemmo Island, Soi
Kung, Cheung Chou Island.
High-rise apartments with well-equipped facilities and at a con-

venient distance from Central and other commercial districts
Happy Volley, Mid-levels, Causeway Boy, Wonchoi
Near the beach with luxurv facilities

Repulse Boy, Shouson Hill, Stanley, Toi Tom
,
68
C J,apter J, Around -t:Ae home
In th e bathroom
Soi tauh seui

<)£11);?.8§) Chung leuhng f6 ng
59CBft7J\ shampoo
0
Hoi mihn miMi! sponge
Seui luhng tauh 7J\Iileft top
Pou pou >m>m foam
Soi sou puhn )9[3!111 washbasin
Sou gon 3!rn handkerchief
Mouh gon :ern towel
~·
Ngah gou toothpaste
Ngah choot ~HIJ toothbrush
Yuhk gong ~ffil both
So Jmf comb
Fu
Deih ho •
ttl!""F
trousers
floor
Geng
•
Class ifiers used arou nd the home:
mirror
Yot bo je on umbrella
Yot boou yin a packet of
cigarettes
Yot deui maht a pair of socks
Yot deui haoih a pair of shoes
Yot jek CD a CD
Yot bun syu a book
Yot joan dong a lamp
Yot go ngohn boau a purse
Yot go yin fui gong an ashtray
Yot go chah wu a teapot
69
"
B. Chit Chat
1. A: Neih goon uk youh gei do goon fong a?

(How many rooms are there in your house?)
B: Ng6h goon uk youh sei goon f6ng .

(I have four rooms in my house.)
2. A: Neih goon uk youh m6uh che fohng a?

(Does your house have a garage?)
B: You h.
(Yes.)
3. A: Ng6h go geng hoi bin douh a?

(Where is my mirror?)
B: Hoi t6i seuhng mihn .

(On the table.)
4. A: Ng6h tiuh fu hoi bin douh a?

(Where are my trousers?)
B: Hoi deih ho .
(On the floor.)
A: Ng6h deui maht hoi bin douh a?

(Where are my socks?)
B: Juhng lohng g6n .

(They are still drying on the line.)
A: Ng6h ge baahk sik seut scam ne?

(What about my white shirt?)
B: Hoi sci yi p6u .

(It's at the drycleaner's.)
70
CJ.,apter f, Around t:Ae Aome
WASHING ON THE STREET
Although drying machines are very popular in western countries,

Hong Kong people normally put the washing on the line. Most
apartments come with a clothes-drying window or corner out
of which you can hang clothes on long rods or lines. On a dry
day, if you look up from any street, expect to see a multitude of
bright clothes colouring the skyline. If it's windy, watch outl
For those with a fear of leaning out of the window so·
floors above the street, washing and dry cleaning places can
be found all over Hong Kong.
5. A: Ng6h deui haoih hoi bin douh a?

(Where ore my shoes?)
B: Hoi yuhk gwong gook leih .

(Beside the both.)
71
C. One-liners
" 1.
2.
3.
Ng6h deih uk kei m6uh dihn.
(We have no electricity at home.)
Ng6h deih m6uh yiht seui.

(We have no hot water.)
Ng6h deih ge dihn sih waaih j6.

(Our TV is out of order.)
4. Ng6h deih ge lip waaih j6.

(Our lift/elevator is out of order.)
5. F6 juk a!
(Fire!)
6. Bo gfng.
(Call the police.)
7. 06 bei waih sou gung yahn.

(Call the repairman .)
8. Deih h6 h6u wu jou .

(The floor is dirty.)
9. Mh goi , bong ng6h d6u laahp soap .

(Please throw away the rubbish for me .)
10. Tim, h6 mh h6 yi bong ng6h kap chahn a?

(Tim, can you help me vacuum the floor?)
11 . Cheuih pin .
(Help yourselves.)
12. Mh s6i hack hei.

(Please don't hesitate. Literally: Don't have guest airs.)
72
CAapterb Around -tJ.,e J.,of'VIe
1 . Prepositions of place :
In English, we say, "The toothbrush is on the table."
In Cantonese, we say, "The toothbrush is table on. "
That is, we always put the preposition of place (e.g. "on")
after the noun .
e.g. Ngoh ch6at h6i bin douh a?

(Where is the toothbrush?)
Ngoh ch6at h6i chOng leuhng f6ng neuih mihn .

(The toothbrush)(is)(bathroom) (inside)
The toothbrush is in the bathroom .
The formula :
Thing (noun) + verb + place + preposition of

place
e .g X h6i t6i seuhng mihn
(table) (on)
hah mihn
(under)
chihn mihn
(in front of)
hauh mihn
(behind)
gaak leih
(beside)
seuih f6ng neuih mihn
(bedroom) (inside)
chohng tuhng syu g6 jung goon
(bed and bookcase) (between/in the
middle of)
73
7 Finding your way
A. Lingo
Dire!:;tions :
Gaak leih HliE beside 0
J6 mihn O:ifii left
Yauh mihn Eifii right
Chihn mihn ~ifii in front of
Deui mihn f:tifii across the road
Hauh mihn Uiifii behind/in the back
Jung goan rpfm middle
-~
Jyun gok corner
Goai h6u mo end of the street
Dong m east
Naahm ~ south
Sai il!i west
Bak jt north
~(lfi) P6u:
Mahngeuih p6u 5<~11 stationery shop
Wuhngeuih p6u Jii~lfi toys hop
Tohnggw6 dim llmli5 candy shop
Sihjong dim ~~li5 boutique
Choihfung dim ~dli5 tailor shop
CD p6u CD II CO/record shop
Mihnboaup6u JI'Bllfi bakery
-~·
Dihn hei p6u electrical appliances
Fact yihng uk fim!~ hair salon
Ga fe sat llllliU~~ coffee shop
Syu bou toan
••• newsstand
75
Q
..~----------------...........
~~ GETTING AWAY
There are many opportunities to "get away" in Hong Kong. Here

is a couple :
Tai Mo Shan - literally "Big Hat Mountain," it dominates the

skyline of the New Territories near Tsuen Won . A hike up to its
peak, Hong Kong 's highest ot 957m, con be rounded off with a
dip in refreshing waterfall pools. It is well known for its frequent
mist and even the occasional frost in winter. The summit itself is
inaccessible. Wild animals inhabit the subtropical forests there.
Hikers can also picnic on the grassy area, which features a Iorge
rock. A great place for a panoramic view of Hong Kong , it is
also enjoyable at night, where stargazers con find an open sky
and lovers can chat quietly away.
Getting there :
Take the MTR to Tsuen Won and leave the station by exit A. Tum
left and toke the steps up to the bus stop. The 51 leaves only
once every 25 minutes, so if you have just missed one, you may
wish to toke a taxi for the 20-minute journey up Route Twisk
("Tsuen Wan Into Shek Kong"). Get off at the head of the pass,
just after the barbecue site on your left.
Toi Long Wan - "Big Wave Boy" is located at the furthest

edge of Sci Kung Country Pork and is rightly celebrated for its
magnificent scenery and fine beaches . It is remote and quiet.
The water by the white sand beaches is clean enough for swim-
ming and surfing, but watch out for the rip tide! This is a good
place for a long weekend, for a barbecue, or for a stroll around
with your loved one. You can also discover the villages, ruins of
old churches and traditional houses nearby. There are several
simple cafes where you may stop for a cold drink, and rooms in
the villages can be rented for the weekend .
Getting there:
Take the MTR to Diamond Hill , then take the bus 92 to Soi Kung
and catch a green taxi, which will cost you $80-$100 to Soi Wan
Road. Then, walk along the coast through Soi Won Village to Tai
Long Won .
76
Chapter 7 r::indin4 your way
ShoJ;!S (continued):
Yauh guk i8Fcj post office 0
-~
Yeuhk fohng pharmacist
llilfl
••
Hei yun cinema
Chaan teng restaurant
Ngahn hohng iefi bank
Kahm hong llfi piano store
Touh jyu jaahm m>tnc lottery station
Bo si jaahm e:!±l'IC bus station
Book fo gOng si siliflQl department store
JyO yuhk p6u
~~~- butcher
In Hong Kong, shops selling one particular product tend to be

located along the some street or area :
1. Sheung Won I Des Voeux Rood West

Bird's nest, shark's fin, dried seafood, luxury beauty and health
products, antiques (at the "Cot Street Bazaar")
2. Mongkok ("authentically Hong Kong • district
where you con get the best value for your dollar)
COs, records, VCDs, DVDs, electronic goods, casual clothes
3. Flower market at Prince Edward
A wide variety of exotic flowers
4. Pacific Place, Landmark
Luxury items and big clothing labels
5. Tsim Sho Tsui, Stanley Market, Temple Street ,
Lady ' s market
Souvenirs and cheap casual clothes.
6. Sham Shui Po , Won Choi
Computer games and software
7. Happy Volley
Designer furniture , custom-made shoes
8. Queen ' s Rood Eost/Wonchoi
Furniture and curtains
9. Tsim Sho Tsui East
Furs from Russia and Central Asia, traditional Indian and Poki-
0 B. Chit Chat
1. A: Ngoh seung moaih go scam mahn jih . Heui bin

douh a?
(I want to buy a sandwich . Where should I go?)
B: Mihn beau pou hoi deui mihn .

(A bakery is across the road .)
2. A: Bin douh youh jyO yuhk maaih a?

(where) (have)(pork) (to seii)(Question word)?
(Where can I buy pork?)
B: Hoi j6 mihn .
(On the left.)
II 3. A: Mh goi UA hei yun hoi bin douh a?
(Excuse me. Can you please tell me where the UA
cinema is?)
B: UA hei yun hoi yauh guk hauh mihn .

(The UA cinema is behind the post office.)
4. A: Mh goi Wuih Fung ngahn hohng hoi bin douh

a?
(Can you please tell me where the HSBC (Hong
Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is)?
B: Hoi go fe sat tuhng syo bou taan jung goon .

(The HSBC is located between the coffee shop and
newsstand .)
5. A: Mh goi/Cheng mahn , Ch in Seui Waan hoi

bin douh a?
,, (Excuse me, where is Repulse Bay?)
I
B: Ch i n Seui Wean hoi naahm mihn .
(Repulse Bay is on the southern side of the island .)
il 78
Ct,apter 7 r::indirv:. your way
6. A: Daaih Yuh Soan hoi bindouh a?

(Where is Lantau Island?)
B: Daaih Yuh Soan hoi Heung Gong D6u sai mihn .

(Lantau Island is located to the west of Hong Kong
Island .)
~TIP: A full list of use-..,

ful destinations and
districts around
Hong Kong con be
found in Appendix II
"" ~
C. One-liners
1. Ng6h deih heui bin douh a?

(Where should we go?)
2. Syo bou taan hoi ga fe sat hauh mihn .

{The newsstand is behind the coffee shop.)
3. Tauh jyu jaahm hoi j6 mihn .

(The lottery station is on the left.)
4. Yeuhk fohng hoi gaai hou .

{The pharmacist is at the end of the street.)
5. Ba si jaahm hoi chihn mihn.

(The bus stop is over there/up ahead.)
6. Yuhn rhh yuhn a?

{Is it far?)
79
7. Mh haih h6u yuhn .

{It's not very far.)
8. Gei yuhn go!

{It's pretty far!)
9. Neih h6 yi haahng heui g6 douh .

(You can walk there.)
10. Neih yiu daap deih tit.

yih sahp boat houh ba si.
ja che.
(You have to take the MTR.
take bus number 28 .
drive [a car] .)
1. "Yiu" :
The verb "yiu" means "have to," "must," or "need to" in English.
It is used in the same word order as well.
The formula:
Noun/pronoun + "yiu" + verb
e .g . Neih yiu heui Tuhng Loh Wean

(You need to go to Causeway Bay.)
e.g. Robert tuhng Charlie yiu heui chaai gwun .

(Robert and Charlie have to go to the police
station .)
80
CAapter 7 r::indiru::, your way
2 . Asking about where to shop for something specific :

To ask where you can do something like buy cheap clothes or
find COs, you have to use a specific sentence structure.
The formula :
Question word + "yauh" + item + verb + "a"?
e.g . Bin douh y6uh jyu yuhk maaih a?

(where)(have) (pork) (to sell)(final particle)?
(Where can I buy pork?)
81
8 Bargaining:
At the Market and Shopping
A. Lingo
Specifiers:
Nidi liFt~ these

Go di Dim~ those
Ni jek liFt II this kind
Go jek 01111 that kind
Fruits (g:,m) saanggw6:
Sih do be lei ±~Ill~ strawberry

Soi gwo il§ia watermelon
Pihng gwo am apple
Cheong m orange
mm
Muhk gwo
Maht gwo
laih ji
•m
~~
papaya
honeydew melon
lychee
Boloh Siii pineapple
lihng mung ~~~~ lemon
Taih ji t!::f grapes
83
No Swe<1f Ciinfonese
Vegetables clliffM) so choi & others ·
Soong choi g:m lettuce

Yeh choi IIIIBM cabbage
Chung 1! spring onion
Sai laahn fa il§ill~ broccoli
Yeh choi fa ABM~ cauliflower
Lob baahk
Yeuhng chOng
Cheng jlu
••
>liE
~ll
carrot
onion
bell pepper
Faan ke iilii tomato
Dung gO ~iii§ mushroom
Meat and seafood ( ~lli~)ffii¥) yuhk neuih kap

~
Ngauh yuhk q:~ beef

Jyo yuhk ~~~ pork
Yeuhng yuhk $~ lamb
-~
Gai yuhk chicken
Yu ~ fish
Ha Ji shrimp
daaijf ffi~ scallop
•·~
beau yuh abalone
haai crab
hfn II clam
luhng ha Glli lobster
hoi sam >m# sea cucumber
yauh yu ill~ squid
-~
mahk yuh cuttlefish
yuh chi ~~ shark's fin
84
CJ.,apter8 /3arc,aini~ and sf.,oppi~
Electronics ( \fl~jl!fia) dibn ji cb6an bo n-
Sou mob seung gei Mli!UOMI digital camera

0
Sou mob sibp lubk MlltiB (digital) video
gei Ill camera
Sou taib dibn loub ~HUll IIi laptop
dibn l6ub IIIII computer
Sou taib dibn w6 ~fl-~ mobile phone
Go yabn dibn ji sou
jeung
Yam beung
Kwong yam bei
i§.
MAll~
~-
•s~
PDA
bi-fi system
speakers
Cosmetics (ftlfftfia) fa jong ba n-
Seubn gou
Ng6abn jit moub
m•
IISIII~JJI
lipstick
mascara
yibk
Yin ji llilti blush
Goo fan ~IB powder
Ngaabn sin bat IISIHI eyeliner
Sci mibn gou
Song fo seui
wrm•
:;1(.7..1<
face wash
toner
Yeubn mibn seung jlljjMiil moisturizer
85
No 5we;Jt C;Jntonese
"
C l othin g cH!il8) fuhk jon g:
Seut scam 1ID11~ shirt

Seuhng scam _t1~ blouse
T-Seut T1Jfil T-shirt
Lehng toai 9Qilt\ tie
Bun jiht kwahn =t=tim skirt
Kwahn m dress
Fu
Ngauh j6i fu •
!+g.
trousers
jeans
~-
Dyun fu shorts
Hung waih !Jillll bra
~-
Noih fu panties
Mo yin tung H~l&l boxer shorts
Peih haaih ~ti leather shoes
Gou joang haaih m;.:Wiil! high-heels
Leuhng haaih >~ti slip-ons/summer
shoes
To hoai fffiti flip-flops
Classifiers:
Bohng ij pound
Do n dozen
Gihn f~ a shirt/blouse/T-
shirt
Tluh ~ a tie/skirt/dress/
trousers/jeans/
shorts/panties
Go 11 a bra
Deui ~ pair
86
CAap-ter 8 e.ar4ainirv:. and shoppirv:,
"
Relevant adjectives :
Tihm !t sweet
Dojap ~>t juicy
H6u sihk t11tl delicious
Leng II good quality
San sin iii¥ fresh
Gwai
Pehng •
~
expensive
cheap
,..~·~:.V::t-allllliii-•_._~~~......
• BEST BARGAINS IN HONG KONG
J,.
In many snaps, assistants are willing Ia offer discounts if you
ask, especially if you are buying several items at once. The
exceptions are large chain stores and department stores, where
the prices are fixed unless you are the holder of a privilege
card .
The best bargains (and places to practice bargaining in
Cantonese!) can be found at:
Temple Street - T-shirts, jeans, jade, COs, clothes, knickknacks

or even antiques at a very good price.
Lady's Market - A good range of products for women such as
clothes, bags, cosmetics, accessories, all at competitive prices.
Imitation goods are sold here.
Stanley Market Souvenirs, shirts, arts and crafts, jewelery,
paintings, carpets and clothes.
Causeway Bay - Side streets are lined with small boutiques
selling unique fashions. The "Island Beverley" opposite the
SOGO department store houses hundreds of boutiques on
its 5 floors.
Wanchai 298 Hennessy Road A mega complex of computer
._ _____
retail outlets, this is THE place to get hardware and software
deals .
If you are purchasing cameras or video equipment, it is recom-
.....
mended that you only go to shops that display the price tags
in their windows. ·
,.._.~~
87
No Sweilt Ciintonese
B. Chit Chat
1 . Robby is shopping at the fruit stall

R: Robby H: Hawker (seller)
R: Ni di chaang dim maaih a?

(What's the price of those oranges?)
H: Sahp man ngh go.

{Ten dollars for five .)
R: Go di ne? Go di dim maaih a?

(How about those? How much are those?)
H: Go di sohp man saom go, youh tihm youh do jap.

(Those ore ten dollars for three. They ore sweet and
juicy)
R: Hoi bin douh laih go?

(Where ore they from?)
H: Go di hoi Meihgwok laih go.

{Those ore from America .)
R: Neih tuhng ngoh goon di leng ge Ia .

(Could you pick the good ones for me please?)
H: Mouh mahn taih . Neih maoih gei do a?

(No problem . How many ore you buying?)
R: Leuhng da , rhh goi. Pehng di dak rhh dak a?

{Two dozen, please. Con you make it cheaper?)
H: Hou Ia , ngoh goi neih chat sohp man Ia .

{OK, I' ll make it $70.)
R: Gam , hou Ia . Ni douh chat sohp man .

(Well, OK then, here's $70 .)
88
Cl-.ap-ter8
H: Do jeh.
(Thank you .)
R: H6u saang yi.

(Good business to you .)
2 . Shopping at Sa Sa
l
~
Sa Sa is a famous cosmetic outlet in Hong Kong . There you can
get famous labels at reasonable prices . Stores are located
f
..... t.hrlolulghlolultlthlelr.eg•ilonl.lllllllllllllllllllllllllll~!•
A: Shopping Assistant S: Sara
A: Neih seung m6aih mat yeh a?

(What would you like to buy?)
S: Ng6h seung m6oih fa jong bon .

(I want to buy cosmetics .)
A: F6n dihng seuhn gou a?

(Powder or lipstick?)
S: Seuhn gou mh goi.

(lipstick, please.)
A: Mat yeh sik a?

(What colour would you like?)
S: Huhng sik . Gei chin a?

(Red. How much is it?)
A: Gong baih yet back ngh sahp man .

(HK $150 .)
89
S: Cheng mohn chim kaot dak rhh dak a?

(May I pay by credit cord?)
A: Oak. Do jeh, yet book ngh sohp man .

(Yes. $150, please.)
S: H6u , ni jeung hoih ng6h ge seun yuhng kaot.

(OK. Here's my credit cord .)
A: Mh goi hoi ni douh chim meng. Do jeh.

(Please sign here. Thank you .)
S: Mh sai .
(Don't mention it.)
3 . Shopping at Stanley Market
.ru Stanley market is one of the places where it is common practice

to bargain with the shopkeepers. They may have signs saying
._.
"no bargaining", but that is a ploy a imed at the tourists, so try
. _ _____ ..
anyway. You can get there by taking the MTR to Central and
then the bus No . 6, 6A or 260 from Exchange Square bus
terminus .
...... ,.......~
Robert is getting a tie for his cous in.

S: Shop Assistant R: Robert
S: Neih seung maoih mat yeh a?

(What would you like to buy?)
R: Yauh m6uhtaoi a?
(Do you sell ties?)
90
C J.,ap-ter 8
S: Youh, chimg mohn yiu mot yeh sik a?

(Yes, we do, what colour do you like?)
R: Youh m6uh naohm sik a?

(Do you hove a blue one?)
S: Youh, neih dong dong Ia .

(Yes, please wait a moment.)
R: Nigo gei leng. Gei do chin a?

(This is quite pretty. How much is it?)
S: Yat book man .

{$100.)
R: Youh m6uh jit a?

(Do you hove a discount?)
S: Youh gou jit. Gou sohp man h6u rna?

(There's a discount of 10 %. Is $90 OK?)
R: Tooi gwoi Ia . Boot jit Ia.

(That' s still too expensive. Make it 20% off.)
S: Boot ngh jit. H6u rhh h6u a?

(15% off, toke it or leave it.)
R: H6u . Ni douh yot book man .

(OK. Here's $1 00 .)
S: Do jeh, joou sohp ngh man bei neih .

{Thank you . Here' s $15 in change bock.)
R: Mh goi.
{Thank you .)
91
No Sweilf Cilnfonese
C. One-liners
0 1. Pehng di dak mh dak a?
(Con you make it cheaper, please?)
2. Y6uh m6uh jit a?

(Do you hove discount?)
3. Mh h6u ak ng6h . Ng6h slk gong Gw6ngdung w6.

(Don't fool me . I con speak Cantonese .)
4. Boot jit Ia.

(20% off please.)
English . When you say "Boot jit," you mean that you want to
pay BO% of the whole price, in other words, get a 20% discount.
This is the opposite of what you say in English, so be careful!
...
5.
~-----~-·
Tooi gwoi Ia, pehng dl dak rhh dak a?
{That's too expensive, con you make it cheaper?)
6. Mh h6u ak ng6h .
(Don't fool me.)
92
CJ..,apter8 /3ar<E.ainif14 and sJ,oppif14
BUYING GROCERIES
There were many street markets selling raw foodstuffs in Hong

Kong years ago. However, the so-called "wet market" was trans-
planted in recent years to multi-story indoor market complexes
for hygienic and commercial reasons. Some of these "dry mar-
kets" are located in North Point, Wanchai and Centrai/Sheung
Wan .
Today, you will still see same street markets where you
can buy fresh meat, seafood and vegetables. However, a new
alternative to both "wet" and "dry" markets has appeared : the
western-style "Superstore," whose opening hours are longer and
which remains open in all weather conditions (catering to the
needs of office workers) . Shopping for the entire household is
convenient, the environment is clean, but the price is higher. In
addition, you cannot bargain at a Superstore, whereas the street
market will offer you discounts if the stall owner knows you or if
you try to haggle with him or her.
93
t ) .., ~ C. 1 S 1 to tl j
9 Time, Date, and Day of the
Week
A. Lingo
~ (llij!m) sib gaan·
Dim !ii o'clock

Fan jung flil minutes
Bun $ half-hour
Gwat
Seuhng jau 1::.
~ quarter-hour
morning
~·
Hah jau afternoon
JOngngh qJ4= noon
Lihng sahn >ill midnight
Yeh moahn ~~ evening
Bun yeh $~ middle of the night
Yih ga II~ now
How to tell the time ·

In Cantonese, there are a number of ways in which to say
what time it is.
1. General 1 :04 Yet dim lihng sei fan
Literally: One o 'clock (zero) four minutes.
2. Sharp 1 :00 Yet dim

literally: One o 'clock.
3. Half-past 1 :30 Yet dim bun

literally: One o 'clock half.
95
No 5weilf Cilnfonese
4. To tell the time when the number of minutes post the hour
is a multiple of five (i.e. the minute hand points to a number
from 1 to 11 ), there is a convenient shortcut:
a) Leuhng dim yat 2 :05 or Leuhng dim lihng ngh fan

Literally: Two o 'clock one (since the minute hand is pointing at
" ron the clock face)
b) Leuhng dim sa om 2 : 15 or Leuhng dim sahp ngh fan

Literally: Two o 'clock three (since the minute hand is pointing
at "3 " on the clock face)
c) Scam dim g6u 3 :45 or Scam dim sei sohp ngh

fan
literally: Three o 'clock nine (since the minute hand is point
ing at "9" on the clock face)
*Please note that the number " Leuhng" is used to count " dim"
(o'clock), but not for " Fan" (minutes) when reading a clock.
96
CJ..,ap-ter 9 1ime, Da-te and Day ol -the Week
Weekdays ( ~ml) sing keih·

weekday sing keih English 0
yat ~ml- Monday
2 yih ~ml= Tuesday
3 sa am ~m~= Wednesday
4 sei ~mllm Thursday
5 ngh ~min Friday
6 luhk ~mit\ Saturday
7 yaht ~miB* Sunday
• Yaht means "sun" in English
Befo re Last Thi s Next After Next

la s t
Day Chihn yaht Kohm yaht

~Baht ligsaht Hauh yaht
ft!JB 188 fiB
Night Chihn Kahm Gam nng Hauh
Week
moahn
ft!J.
Chihn go
••
moahn moahn
~-
Seuhng go Gam go Hah go
•• ••
maahn moahn·
sing keih sing keih sing keih sing keih

I fl. J::M~
ml ;fill jbi11~
month Chihn go Seuhng go Gam go Hoh go
yuht yuht yuht yuht
ft!J11F.I J::11F.I ~ fl F.l ""F 11 F.l
Year Chihn nfn Seuhng nin Gam nin Hoh nin Houh nin
ft!J~ J::~ ~~ ""F~
-~ 97
0 months ( F.J ) yu ht:

Yet yuht
Yih yuht
-F.J
=F.J
January
February
Scam yuht ..=.F.J March
Sei yuht ll!IF.J April
Ngh yuht nF.J May
Luhk yuht 7\F.J June
Chat yuht t::F.J July
Boat yuht f\F.J August
Gau yuht 11F.J September
Sahp yuht +F.J October
Sahp yet yuht +-F.J November
Sahp yih yuht +=F.J December
Dates ( ~) h ouh:
sahp houh +~ the tenth
scam yuht gau ..=.F.J11~ the 9th of March
houh
Yo u wi ll have noticed that in Cantonese, the days of the week

are simply call ed "day one" to "day six," with "day seven" being
the anoma ly. Likewise, the months are referred to by the num-
bers one to twelve, but this time the nu mber precedes th e word
for month, yuht.
Years ( i:f:J
nin / nihn:
The ord er in which we say the year and date together is differ-
ent from how we say it in English .
In British Eng li sh , the sequence is date-month-year

e .g. the 2nd of march , 1968
However, in Cantonese , the sequence goes the oth e r way

aro und : year-month-date
e.g. yat gau luhk baat nihn saam y uht yih houh
Literally: 1968, 1harch 2nd
98
Chapter 9 Time, Da-te and Daj ol -the Week
B. Chit Chat
1. What ' s on TV?

A: Gam m6ahn g6u dim bun y6uh mat yeh jit muhk t6i a?
(Which programme is on at 9:30 tonight?)
B: Gam m6ahn g6u dim bun y6uh hei t6i .

{There is a movie on tonight at 9 :30 .)
2. Free time
A: Neih ylh go jouh g6n mat yeh a?
(What are you doing right now?)
B: Ng6h ylh go hoi Seuhng Hoi Taan m6aih g6n yeh .

{I am shopping at Shanghai Tang at the moment.)
A: Gam, neih gei slh dak haahn a?

(Well, when are you going to have free time?)
B: Ng6h tlng yaht dak haahn .

{Tomorrow I' m free .)
Shanghai Tang is a boutique famous for selling traditiona l Chi -

nese o utfit s for both riten and worhen. The owner David Tan£
is a we ll-known Hong Kong socia lite and entrepreneur. His staff
wi ll measure you for a c ustorit suit or cheon&saril, but ritake
sure that your pockets are deep eno ugh . They a lso have a less
costly ready to wear se lection and a lso Chinese riteriwrabilia.
You wi ll find hi s shops at the Pedder buildin g in Cen tra l and in
-----··--..·
the departure a rea of Chek Lap Kok Airport.
99
No 5we<Jt C<Jn t onese
3 . Meetings
A: Neih gei sih hoi wui a?
(When is your meeting?)
B: Sing keih yih scam dim .

(3:00pm on Tuesday.)
A: Sahp yuht sahp houh, haih mh haih a?

(October 10?)
B: Mh haih a . Haih sahp yat houh .

(No, October 11 .)
4 . Too busy to talk .

A: Neih hou, White sin saang. Neih dak mh dak haahn
king hah a?
(Hello Mr. White? Do you have a moment to talk?)
B: Mh h6u yi si, Yeuhng siu je, ng6h yih go mh dak haahn .

Ng6h hoi gan wui.
(I am sorry, Ms. Yeung . I am not free at the moment. I
am in a meeting.)
A: Gam, ng6h ting yaht do bei neih Ia .

(Then I'll call back tomorrow.)
B: Dng jiu ng6h wuih heui Gw6ng Jau.

(Tomorrow morning I'm going to Guangzhou .)
A: Neih gei sih faan a?

(When will you be back?)
B: Ng6h wuih hoi chat yuht yih sahp scam houh sing keih
luhk yeh maahn chat dim bun faan .
(I'll be back on the evening of Saturday, 23 July at 7:30.)
A: Gam, ng6h deih chih di gong Ia . Baai baai .

(Then we' ll talk later. Goodbye.)
100
CJ.,ap-ter 9 Time, Da-te and Day o.t t:J.,e Week
5 . The date
A : Neih gei sih leih Heung Gong ga?
(When did you come to Hong Kong?)
B: Ng6h yet g6u luhk boat nihn, yih yuht sahp houh leih
Heung Gong ge.
(I came to HK on the 1Oth of February 1968.)
A: 56 yi neih di Gw6ngdung w6 gong dak gam h6u.

(That's why you speak such good Cantonese!)
C. One-liners
1. Heung Gong yih go gei dim a?

(What time is it in Hong Kong at the moment?)
2. Ou Hook Laahn gei dim a?

(What time is it in Auckland?)
3. Ng6h deih wuih chih bun go jung .

(We will be delayed by half an hour.)
4. Heung Gong yih go haih yeh m6ahn g6u dim .

(Hong Kong time is now 9 :00 at night.)
5. Fei gei gei sih douh Meihgwok a?

(When will the flight arrive in the United States?)
6. Yiu leuhng go jung scam fan jung.

(It takes 2 hours and 3 minutes.)
7. Ou Hook Laahn bei Heung Gong faai sei go jung.

(Auckland is four hours ahead of Hong Kong .)
8. Ng6h sing keih yih scam dim hoi wui.

(I have a meeting on Tuesday at 3pm.)
101
9. Chahn sin saang wuih hoi yih lihng lihng scam nihn
sahp yih yuht sahp chat houh heui Leuhn Deun .
(Mr. Chan will be in London for a meeting on 17th
December 2003 .)
1. Sentence structures :
There are several different sentence structures you will use in
order to talk about time. Here are a few simple formulae to
follow:
a) Asking the time

Yih go gei dim a?
(now) (what time)(finol particles)
What time is it now?
b) Planning ahead for time
Subject + Time + Verb
e.g. Ng6h sing keih yat hoi wui.

(I) (Monday) (have a meeting)
I have a meeting on Monday.
e.g. Ng6h sahp houh hoi wui .
(!) (lOth) (have a meeting)
I have a meeting on the 1Oth .
b) Planning ahead for place and time
Subject + Time ( + preposition + place) + Verb
e.g. Ng6h deih yat dim hoi Heung Gong gong lohk.
(we) (7 o 'clock) (in/ at) (Hong Kong) (to land)
We will be landing in Hong Kong at 1 o'clock.
102
Ct,ap-ter 9 Ttme, Da-te and Day o.P -tAe Week
c) What is happening at x o'clock?
Time of Day + Time + Verb + Question word + Noun

+ verb + particle
e.g . Gam maahn gau dim yauh mat yehjit muhk tai a?
(Tonight)(9 o 'clock)(have)(what)(programme)(to watch)(parficle}
Which programs are on TV at nine o'clock
tonight?
d) Time difference
Place A + bei + Place B + Faai + Time element
e.g. Ou Hook laahn bei Heung Gong faai sei go jung.

(Auck/and)(than} (Hong Kong} (faster} (4 hours}
Auckland is ahead of Hong Kong by four hours.
e) Dates and Time
Year + Month + Date (+ Time of Day + Time)
e.g. Yet gau gau chat nihn luhk yuht scam sahp houh hah
jau yet dim.
(1997)(June)(30th} (middle of the night} (lo 'clock}
At 1 p .m . on the 30th June, 1997 .
103
10 Going on a business trip
Port 1: Booking o flight and checking in
A.l Lingo
Gwok taai hohng IJ~tft~ Cathay Pacific

hung Airways
Seung mouh w6i im~fll business class
Dehng [J book/reserve
Gei piu Ill !I plane ticket
Yuht F.J month
Houh li! number
Boon gei 11!111 flight
P6 tung w6i Simfll economy class
Dim !ii how about
Gam oa well
Jeui II the most
Faai
*~ fast
W6i m
¥.
seat
Dong gei Blll check in
S6ujuhk procedure
Geidfm ~IS what time
Daaih yeuk 1'\~~ about/approxi-
/
mately
Chlh ll delayed
Gei noih ~~ how long (how
much time)
Jaahp h6u r..L'JD gate
Ding Ging mffi Tokyo
Kok yihng lil~ reconfirm
105
No Swe<Jt C<Jnfonese
Dang gei sou juhk Bill~· check in

Seung yiu ~mg would like to
Geipui Ill!! ticket
Wuh jiu at~ passport
Hahng leih tj~ baggage
Baai
Seuhng mihn
Kap yi n keui
•
J::im
Di~IA
put
on
smoking area
Fei kap yin keui ~FIJi~~ non-smoking area
Jau long wei ~film aisle seat
Cheung hou wei imom window seat
Jung goon wei tPimfn middle seat
Mh goi saai DB~~ thanks very much
Saai ~ very much
Jun sih ~~ on time
Daaih yeuk ~~ about
Yatgojung -Mil one hour
Neui touh yuh faai li1H~ 4ft ~>4 happy journey
Gei cheuhng seui llltiim airport tax
Dang gei Bill check in
Dang gei muhn BIIIM boarding gate
Gei sih ~~ when
Juk m wish
Dang gei jing Blllm boarding pass
Hahng leih paai fi~ ~ baggage tag
106
C Aapte r /0 t:=,oin4 on a Business -trip
B. 1 Chit Chat
Christina is at the airport counter .

C : Christina S: Customer Service
1. C: Neih h6u, haih mh haih Gwok Taai hohng hung

a?
(Hello, is th is Cathay Pacific Airways?)
S: Haih. Neih di Gw6ngdung wa h6u h6u wo.

(Yes. Your Cantonese is very good .)
C: Do jeh.
(Thank you .)
S: Ng6h yauh mat yeh h6 yi bong neih a ?

(How may I help you?)
C: Ng6h seung dehng gei piu .

(I ' d like to book a ticket.)
S: Cheng dang dang .... Neih seung heui bin douh a?

(Please wait a moment .... Where would you like to
go?)
C: Ng6h seung dehng yet jeung gau yuht sahp houh

heui Dung Ging ge gei piu .
(I ' d like to reserve a~ for Tokyo on Septem-
ber 1Oth.)
S: Gei dim a? 1
(What time?)
C: Jiu j6u gau dim bun .

(9:30am .)
S: Cheng dang dang ....

(Please wait a moment . ... )
107
C: Mh goi yeuh m6uh seung mouh wei o?

(Do you have Business class?)
S: Yeuh seung mouh wei . Neih seung ch6h bin douh a?

(Business class is available. Where would you like to
sit?)
C: Ng6h seung ch6h cheung heu we i.

(I'd like a window seat.)
2. C: Neih h6u , ng6h seung dehng gei piu heui Scam

Foahn Sih .
(Hello. I' d like to book a ticket to San Francisco .)
S: H6u a. Neih seung gei sih fei a?

(OK. When would you like to fly?)
C: Yeuh m6uh geu yuht geu houh a?

(Do you have seats on September 9th?)
S: Yeuh .
(Yes, we do.)
3. C: Ng6h seung kok yihng ng6h ge gei wei .

(I'd like to reconfirm my flight.)
S: H6u. Cheng mahn neih ge boon gei houh meh

haih gei do houh a?
(OK. May I have your flight number please?)
C: Boon gei haih CX __ .

(The flight number is CX __ .)
S: Neih giu mot yeh meng a?

C: Ng6h sing Gillies. Ng6h giu Christina.

(My surname is Gillies. My name is Christina .)
108
Chap-ter 10 C:.oin"" on a f!.usiness -trip
4. C: Gwok Taoi Hohng Hong ge "counter" hoi bin

douh a?
(Where is the Cathay Pacific Airways counter?)
S: Hoi chihn mihn .

(Straight ahead .)
5. C: Daaih yeuk chih gei noih a?

(How long will it be delayed?)
S: Daaih yeuk Leuhng go jOng.

(Around 2 hours.)
6. C: Gei dim dou DOng Ging a?

(What time will we arrive in Tokyo?)
S: Gou dim.
(9 o'clock.)
C.l One-liners
1. Mh goi, ng6h seung yiu neih ge gei piu tuhng wuh jiu .
(May I have your ticket and passport please?)
2. Hoi ni douh .
(Here you are .) I
3. Mh goi jeung neih di hahng leih boai hoi seuhng

mihn .
(Please put your baggage .1m here.)
4. Cheng mahn yiu kap yin keui dihng fei kap yin keui a?
(Would you prefer smoking or non-smoking?)
5. Fei kap yin keui, mh goi.

(Non-smoking area, please.)
109
No 5weqt Cqntonese
6. Cheung hau wei dihng jung goon WOI a?

(Window seat or middle seat?)
7. Ni go hoih neih ge dong gei jing, gei piu tuhng

hahng leih paoi .
(Here's the boarding pass, your ticket and your
baggage claim togs .)
8. Fei gei jun sih rna?

{Is the flight on time?)
9. Juk neih neui touh yuh fooi.

(Enjoy your journey.)
=
HONG KONG, WORLD CITY
The people of Hong Kong hove relatives living all over the world .
Huge numbers of Chinese fled the Mainland during the lost
century. They continued this migration on from Hong Kong,
setting up Iorge enclaves in many of the world 's major cities .
Partly because of the family connection and portly because it's
fun , Hong Kong people therefore like to travel widely. You may
find your Cantonese useful in places as for aport as New York,
London and Sydney, so keep on practicing!
A note on tickets :
The word dehng means "to reserve ." The words for "booking
tickets" ore dehng piu, which con be applied to booking train
and air tickets. A monthly ticket is the yuht piu. Fei is another
word for tickets; it is used for ferry tickets (syuhn fei) and movie
tickets (hei fei) .
'-'
110
••---••••r,..~-.. .-.~
Chapter/0 C:.oin.:. on a Business -trip
Part 2: After the Trip and Checking Out at

the Hotel
A.2 Lingo
Gei dim
Seung
nng jiu
HID
1m
lliJ
what time
want
tomorrow morning
0
Dehng ~ reserve
Dik si ~± taxi
Che jaahm mnc station
~·
Syut gwaih refrigerator
Leuih mihn ililii inside
Gun Ill can (classifier of soft
drinks)
Jyuh fl live
M6ahn ~ night
H6u chi tt11eA seems like
Gai cho sou MBE calculate wrongly
T6i t6i ~~ have a look
Nidouh Dftli here
G6 douh llflli there
F6ng fj§ room
W6n m look for
Bun
Dik si jaahm
Che
•m
~±tiD
move
taxi stand
transportation
Gihn f~ piece (classifier for
luggage)
Sou teui che ~mm baggage carts
111
No Swe;;t C;;ntonese
B.2 Chit Chat
Ann is checking out of her hotel.

A: Ann S: staff
1. A: Mh goi, ngoh seung tlng jlu w dik si, dak mh

dak a?
(I'd like to reserve a taxi for tomorrow morning . Is
that OK?)
S: Dak.
(OK.)
2. A: Heui gei tit jaahm yiu gei chin a?

(How much is the fare to the airport station?)
S: Daaih yeuk chat sahp man.

(Around $70 .)
3. A: Ng6h yam j6 syut gwaih leuih mihn yat gun be

i.Q.\!, haih mh haih a?
(I drank a (can of) beer from the refrigerator,
didn 't I?)
S: Haih a.
(Yes.)
4. A: H6u chi gai cho sou wo .

(There seems to be a mistake in the bill.)
S: Dang ng6h tai tai .

(Let me have a look.)
5. A: Ng6h chlm kaat dak mh dak a?

(Is it OK if I pay by credit card?)
S: Dak .
(OK.)
112
CJ.,ap-ter/0 C:.oin4 o n a Business -trip
C. 2 One-l iners
1. Ng6h y6uh scam gihn hahng leih.

{I have 3 pieces of baggage.)
2. Mh goi bun di hahng leih heui dik si jaahm .

(Please take the baggage to the taxi stand .)
3. Mh goi, ngoh seung wan yahn bun hahng leih.

(Excuse me, I' m looking for a person to move my
baggage.)
4. Cheng dang dang .

(Please wait a moment.)
5. Gei tit jaahm hoi bin douh a?

(Where is Airport Station?)
CHEK LAP KOK

•
Hong Kong International Airport, which opened in July 1998,
was named World ' s Best Airport for the year 2002. It is located
on Chek Lap Kok, an island off the north coast of Lantau. Little \
is left of the original island, as most of it was bulldozed into the
sea; like many other parts of modern Hong Kong, it is built on
reclaimed land. Chek Lap Kok Airport is one of the world's bus-
iest international airports, and is an excellent gateway to Hong
Kong. It does not, however, offer passengers and bystanders
the thrill of the old approach to its predecessor, Kai Tak airport
( 1925-1998). At ground level, shoppers in Sham Shui Po, would
hear a roar and look up to see the sky filled by a Boeing 747.
From inside the aircraft it would seem to passengers that they
were flying between the high rise buildings. Finally the aircraft
rilade a sharp turn just before touching down on a narrow strip
of land that projected out into the harbour.
The Airport Express carries passengers from the Airport
to Hong Kong Station (Central) in just 23 minutes. For the jour-
ney out of Hong Kong, the in town check-in counter service at
Hong Kong Station enables you to drop your luggage off in the
center of the city and continue efficiently on to the airport with
your hands free .
••
113
11 First visit to Hong Kong
A. LinQ.Q
Mh goi
Bong
Jung woahn
oa~
•
I:PJI
Excuse me, please
help
Central
0
Jim sa jeui ~j!Jllfi Tsim Sha Tsui
J6u dim ~h§ hotel
Heui 5 go
Bun deih ztitt!! local
Cheuhng touh 5~ IDO
Hoi tlf¥ ot/in
J6 bin ttil left side
Yauh bin Ell right side
Ni bin 11/tll this way
Go bin ll@ljl that way
Bin douh jl~ where
Jung goon w6i r:prmm middle seat
Seuhng mihn ...tiii upstairs
Hah mihn "Fiii downstairs
Yet chi -m one time
Deih touh ttl.llll map
Yauh guk tfifcj post office
Suhng gwong ~~ SOGO (a Japa-
nese Department
store)
Oik sf ~± taxi
Be sf e:!± bus
115
I
'0 Maaih
Dihn w6
ll
-~
sell
telephone
I Seung yiu Jm~ want to have
B6ai mt put
Dang gei jing HIIIM boarding pass
Man mx dollar
Dang gei Hill check-in
Dang gei muhn HIIIM boarding gate
Ng6u
Bo jf
Gei cheuhng seui
.55
"'llltiim vomit
newspaper
airport tax
WHAT IS SOGO?
There ore several Iorge Japanese deportment stores in Hong

Kong. Among them, SOGO is the biggest and the most well
known . Its entrance is also a meeting point for locals, due to its
convenient location just outside the Causeway Boy MTR station.
Many Hong Kong people, especially those of the younger
generations, like Japanese fashions, movies, music and food.
That's one of the reasons why there ore so many Japanese res-
taurants and stores in Hong Kong. They ore concentrated in
Causeway Boy and also Toikoo Shing because many Japanese
expatriates live nearby on Broemor Hill, a residential area just
above North Point.
""••--..•••~r~~~~~~~- ·~.a
116
C Aapt-er II t::irs-t visi-t -to -1-10114 ko114
You may find this Cantonese useful in places like hotels in

Hong Kong even if the hotel staff can speak English .
However, they really appreciate your efforts! I So keep on
practicing and build up a friendly relationship with the
locals.
To name a few,
Four Seasons Hotel Heung Gong Sei Gwai J6u Dim
Hong Kong
Conrad Hotel Gong Laih J6u Dim
Disney's Hollywood Dihk Sih Neih hou loih wu J6u
Hotel Dim
Emperor (Happy Ylng Wohng jeun ging J6u Dim
Valley) Hotel
Excelsior Hotel Ylh Dung J6u Dim
Peninsula Hotel Bun Dou J6u Dim
Grand Hyatt Hotel Gwen Yuht Heung Gong J6u
Dim
The Landmark Jih Deih Mahn Wah Dung
Mandarin Oriental Fong J6u Dim
Holiday Inn Golden Gam Wihk Go Yaht J6u Dim
Mile
117
Hong Kong Heung Gong Dihk Sih Neih

Disneyland Hotel J6u Dim
Hong Kong Gold Wohng Gam Hoi Ngohn J6u
Coast Hotel Dim
Hotel Nikko Hong Yaht Hohng Jau Dim
Kong
Island Shangri-La Gong Dou Heung Gaak Leih
Hong Kong Laai
JW Marriott Hotel Maahn Houh J6u Dim
Langham Hotel Hong Lohng Tihng J6u Dim
Kong
Le Meridien Cyberport Sou M6h Gong Ngaaih Meih
J6u Dim
Marco Polo HK M6h Ho Buht Loh J6u Dim
Marco Polo Prince M6h Ho Buht Loh Taai Jf J6u
Dim
Miramar Hotel Meih Laih Wah J6u Dim
New World Renais- San Sai Gaai Maahn Leih J6u
sance Hotel Dim
Panda Hotel Yuht Loih J6u Dim
Park Lane Hong Kong Pak Lihng J6u Dim
Regal Airport Hotel Fu Houh Gei Cheuhng J6u
Dim
YMCA International Ching Nihn Wui Gwok Jai Ban
House Gun
118
Chapter!/ 0rs-t visi-t -to -l-Ion<:. kont:.
Di s ney land & vocab ul ary
HK Disneyland is o adventure foirgound in Hong Kong

and is one of the top tourists spots.
It is located on North Lontou Island between the Airport
and TsingMo Bridge.
Before 2005, it was only of interest to civil engineers. Now,
it is o " must go" or" must do" foro fam ily lovers out. Let's
learn some phrases and hove fun there. But, remember
your credit cord limit and don't over spend!!
Disneyland Dihk Sih Neih

The Lion king si jf wohng
Adventurelond tom hfm soi gooi
Broadway book l6uh wuih
Buzz Lightyeor ba si gwong lihn
Castle sihng b6u
Cinderella fui gu leuhng
Daisy duck doih si
Dol motion boon dfm g6u
Disney 's Hollywood Hotel Dihk Sih Neih hou loih wu
j6u dim
Disneyland Resort Dihk Sih Neih Lohk Yuhn
Disneyland Resort Paris Foot Gwok Dihk Sih Neih
(France) Lohk Yuhn
Disneyland's wedding Dihk Sih Neih ha fan laih
Pavilion gun
Donald duck tohng l6uh ng6op
Dumbo sfu fei jeuhng
Fairy tole wedding tuhng w6 fan l6ih
Fontosylond woohn seung soi gooi
Fast pass fooi jing
Ferris wheel mo tin lyuhn
119
No Swe;Jf C<Jnfonese
Fireworks display fong yin fa

Goofy gou fei
HK Disneyland Hotel Heung Gong Dihk Sih
Neih jau dim
Hong Kong Disneyland Heung Gong Dihk Sih
Neih Lohk Yuhn
Inspiration Lake dihk yon wuh
Recreation Centre
Lion king san ba
Main street, USA Meih Gwok sfu jon dooih
gaoi
maze maih gung
Mickey mouse maih keih louh syu
Minnie mouse maih neih louh syu
MTR Disneyland resort deih tit Dihk Sih Neih liht
train che
Mulon muhk laohn
Parade cheuhn yauh
Parade of Dreams muhng ji cheuhn yauh
Peter Pan sfu fei hohp
Prince charming (lit: white- boohk mah wohng jf
horse-prince)
Pumpkin cor naohm gwa che
Scooby Doo bouh louhtouh
Sleeping beauty seuih gung jyu
Snow white (lit: white- boohk syut gung jyu
snow-princess)
Space mountain fei yuht tooi hung soon
the 7 dwarf syut gu chat yau
the float fa che
120
Chapter // J:irst: visit: t:o -1-/ontE> konq
Tokyo Disneyland Resort Yaht Bun Dung Ging Dihk

(Japan) Sih Neih Lohk Yuhn
Tomorrowland mihng yaht sai gaai
Walt Disney World Wah Dahk Dihk Sih Neih
sai gaai
Winne the pooh siu huhng woih neih
121
N o Sw e<J f C<Jnfonese
B. Chit Chat
Maurice is still finding his way around Hong Kong .

M : Maurice S: Shop assistant
1. S: Mh go i, ng6h h6 yi bong neih rna?

(Excuse me, may I help you?)
M: Mh goi youh m6uh bo si heui Jim So Jeui a?

(Excuse me, is there a bus going to Tsim Sha Tsui?)
S: Youh, ho i chihn mihn .

(Yes there is. It's over there.)
2. M: Hoi bin douh youh Heung Gong deih touh maaih

a?
(Where can I buy a map of Hong Kong?)
S: Hoi "WH Smith" syu dim .

(At the WH Smith Bookshop.)
3. M: Hoi gei cheuhng youh m6uh yauh guk go?

(Is there a post office at the airport?)
S: Youh .
(Yes.)
122
CAapter /1 t::irs-t visi-t -to -Hon,;. kon,;.
Jay is in Hong Kong visiting Ann .

J: Jay A : Ann
4. J: Heung Gong yauh mot yeh tai a?

(What's there to see in Hong Kong?)
A: Heui Son Deng Ia. Fung ging hou leng.

(Go to the Peak. The scenery is very beautiful.)
5. J: Heui bin douh moaih yeh jeui hou a?

(Where's the best shopping?)
A: Jim So Jeui jeui hou .

(Tsim Sha Tsui is the best.)
6. J: Bin douh youh hoi toan a?

(Where is the beach?)
A: Naahm Aa Dou tuhng Yuh Ging Wean .

(Lemma Island and Discovery Bay.)
7. J: Cheng mahn Laahn Gwa i Fong hoi bin douh a?

(May I ask where Lon Kwai Fong is?)
A: Laahn Gwai Fong hoi Jung Waahn .

(Lon Kwai Fong is in Central.)
123
No Swe<Jt C<J n ton es e
WHAT IS THERE TO DO IN HO Ng KONg?
There are many things to do during a visit to the territory.

....
Some of these include:
I . Stan ley markeJ: a great place with beaches, pubs, restau-
rants and shops , which niake it one of the favo rite spots to
live and go sightseeing. Take a 6,6A or 260 bus from Ex-
change Square. The journey of about 40 minutes takes in
many good views of Hong Kong Island.
2. Temple StreeJ: a street market with different sta ll s sel lin g
clothes, antiques and odds and ends. You can have you r
fortune told by one of the many fortune-tellers lin ed up on
one end of the street. Nea rb y are many open cafes se rving
local dishes like clay pot rice and snake soup. Temple Street
is 5 minutes walk from Jordan mTR station. It comes a li ve in
the evenings when you rftay even see Chinese opera.
3. ~: spectacu lar views of Hong Kong, by day and night.
A one hou r walk around the Peak, on Harlech and Lugard
roads on a nice evening at sunset is an experience one shou ld
not miss. Take the unbelievably steep and old (circa 1880)
Peak tram as this is the most exciting and enjoyable way to
the top. At the upper terminus a new mall comb in es a wide
variety of shopping and dining options for visitors. Al so lo-
cated there is madame Tussaud's, which di splays over one
hundred hand-sculpted wax statues of celebrities and politi-
cal leaders in Hong Kong and mainland China, such as
michelle Yeow, Andy Lau and Jiang Zemin. There ' s even a
scaled-down ve rsion of " Ripley's Believe it or Not" at the Peak
Tower. Bu ses run from both the Central Star Ferry ru1d Admi-
ralty mTR to the base of the Peak Tram.
4 . Lan Kwai Fong and Wanchai: are the places for a night out
on the town. There is a wide spectrum of restaurants, bars
and ni ghtc lubs with music a nd jazz bands to choose fron1.
5. Ocean Park: adventure fairground with excell ent aquariums
and shows for a family day out. The park is now home to
Hong Kong 's resident panda .
6. Cheung Chau: has a host of seafood restaurants, a fishing
fleet and severa l old temples. There are holiday home s for
rent. The beaches are also popular for windsurfing and
swirilrhing.
7. Happy Valley: if you are over 18, a horseracing tour at Hong
Kong Jockey Club both in ShaTin and Happy Valley, (Happy
124
••
CAapter/1 t:irst visi-t -to -Hont;, kont;,
Valley is more historic and accessible) is highly recommended.

Races are held Wednesday evenings (Happy Valley) or Sat-
urday afternoons (Shatin) between September and mid-June.
Racing is one of the ritost popular fornis of sport entertain -
ment in Hong Kong and one of the few legal forms of
gambling.
8. Lantau Island: is home to the giant Buddha, a hu ge bronze
statue sitting up the hill from the Po Lin monastery. Plans are
in place to bui ld an aer ia l tramway from Tung Chun g.
9. Lariuila Island: enjoy a boat rid e from the Pier in Ce ntra l to
Lamma Island and round off with dinner at one of the sea-
food restaurants by the seaside. You can pick what you want
to eat direct ly from the fish tank s s tanding outside the
restaurants .
I 0. Disney Theme Park: on Lantau Island between the Airport
and the Tsing rna bridge. Until it opens in 2005/6 it will only
be of interest to civil engineers. After that it wi ll become a
"must do" item for the kids. You have been warned!
Official re so urces for visitors
The Hong Kong Touri st Board provides official quality services

for tourist s and the genera l public. Flyers, brochures and city
maps can be found in their offices by the Star Ferry Piers in Cen-
tral and Tsim Sha Tsui and, of course, at the airport. As yo u walk
aro und Hong Kong, you'll see its emblem (the red junk wi th
white background) in so me s hops' windows. This means that
the shops have been approved by the Tourist Board and their
quality is assured.
125
C. One-liners
Doop dlk sf heui Jung Waohn yiu gei chin a?

(How much is the taxi fore to Central?)
2. Dfm heui Suhng Gwong a?

(How con I get to SOGO deportment store?)
3. Hoi bin douh do bun deih/cheuhng touh dihn wo

a?
(Where con I make a locoi/IDD call?)
4. Gei cheuhng seui gei chin a?

(How much is the airport tax?)
5. Mh goi youh m6uh Ylngmahn bo jf a?

(Do you hove any English newspapers?
English newspapers available in Hong Kong
There are a number of English language publications in Hong

Kong:
1. South China Morning Post: a very long-standing English
language newspaper from Hong Kong . Includes local and
foreign news with entertainment and features.
2 . The Asian Wall Street Journal: English newspaper mainly
about finance and economy, popular with bankers and
financiers .
3 . The Standard : English newspaper about local and
overseas affairs with features .
In addition, several free magazines circulate around bars,

restaurants and other venues :
1 . HK Magazine - information and entertainment about HK.
2 . BC Mqggzine - about catering, bars and restaurants in
Hong Kong
3 . Rugby Talk - Rugby in Hong Kong
Other newspapers, journals and magazines from the rest of
Asia and around the w orld are available at large newsagents
and often at the Star Ferry Piers.
~--------....__-~~
126
CJ.,apter/1 r::trs-t visi-t -to -Horv:. korv:.
1. Asking for items or for help:

"Mh goi" or "Cheng mahn" are common phrases used when
asking for an object or for help.
a) Mh goi + verb + noun + "a" + ?
e .g. Mh go1, y6uh m6uh dang gei jing a?

(Piease)(have)(have naf}(baarding pass)(Quesfion word)?
May I have your boarding pass, please?
e.g . Mh goi, bong ng6h jiht dik sf a?

(Please) (help me) (catch) (taxi) (final particle)
Could you please help me catch a taxi?
b) The word "Mh goi" also means "excuse me" and can be
placed at the beginning or the end of the sentences as
follows :
(i) Mh goi, y6uh m6uh go fe a?

(ii) Y6uh m6uh go fe, mh goi.
(Excuse me, do you have coffee?)
c) Cheng mahn + verb + noun + final particle + ?
"Cheng mahn" means " May I ask" in English and is

used when asking for an object or for help. It is similar to
"Mh goi" when it is placed at the beginning of the
sentence. However, "Cheng mahn" is more formal than
"Mh goi."
e.g. Cheng mahn gei cheuhng seui gei chin a?

(May I ask)(airport fax) (how much money) (final particle)
May I ask how much the airport tax costs?
127
12 Interests and Hobbies
A. Lingo
Types of Sports dii1J) Wahnduhng:
Verb ~
Do Bo n~ playing ball games
Do M6hng kauh VM!!~ playing tennis
Do Bik kauh n~~ playing squash
Do Bing bam bo lJ
.J:iq~ playing table tennis
Do Go yi fu kauh fliffil~~ playing golf
Tek Jok kauh ~le~ playing football
Yauh Seui nH7..1< swimming
Chihm Seui 1'17..1<
diving
Waaht Seui i!7..1<
water-skiing
Lauh Bing )i)J.k ice-skating
Haahng Soan fiW hiking
Po au Bouh lffi!~ jogging
Soan Bouh ft~ strolling
Others :
Toi Dihn sih DilU~ watching TV

Toi Hei Oi/fi watching movies
Toi Syo Di. reading books
Teng Yom ngohk lift~ listening to music
Teng Sou yam gei lll&~lll listening to the radio
129
No Swe4t C4nfonese
Verb Object
Cheung Go ~11! singing
Cheung "K" ~K singing karaoke
Taahn Kahm 5ii!~ playing the piano
Heui Leuih hahng nffifj go travelling
Haahng Gaai fjfti window-shopping
Teng Lauh hahng II >lit fj !HI listening to pop
kok music
Teng Yiuh gwun II MUll~ listening to rock
ngohk music
Adverbs :
Yet chaih together

Bat yuh let's
·-~==·=:~~~----------··· ..
SPORTS AND RECREATION
In Hong Kong, there are many places that offer well-equipped sports
facilities for a low fee:
1. SCAA: South China Athletic Association. Located in Happy Valley,

this club looks a little old but is endowed with every facility possible;
including a huge bowling hall .
2 . LCSD: Leisure and Cultural Services Department. This govern-

ment agency runs Games Halls that provide facilities for swimming,
squash, badminton , tennis, running track, etc. for a minimal fee.
Halls are found throughout the region . A large, modern Squash
Hall is located on the edge of Hong Kong Park next to Central.
--~-------·
130
C J...apter /2. In-terests and -Hot!>l!>ies
B. Chit Chat
1. A: Neih jung mh jung yi t6i hei a?

(Do you like to watch movies?)
B: Ng6h h6u jung yi tai hei .

(I like watching movies very much.)
2. A: Neih jung mh jung yi cheung goa?

(Do you like to sing?)
B: Ng6h h6u jung yi cheung go.

(I like singing very much .)
3. A: Neih dok hoahn jung yi jouh mot yeh a?

(What do you like to do in your spare time?)
B: Ng6h jung yi youh seui tuhng tai syu . Neih ne?

(I like swimming and reading . And you?)
A: Ng6h jung yi heui leuih hohng tuhng haahng

soan . Neih gaau ng6h youh seui dok mh dok a?
(I like travelling and hiking . Can you teach me
how to swim?)
B: Oak, ng6h ting yaht dok hoahn.

(OK! I am free tomorrow.)
A: H6u a.
(Great.)
131
4. A: Neih jung mh jung yi cheung go a?

(Do you like singing?)
B: Ng6h mh jung yi cheung go, ng6h jung yi do

bik kouh.
{I don 't like singing, but I like playing squash .)
A: Ng6h dou haih. Neih gei sih dak hoahn a? Bat yuh
ng6h deih yat choih woan Ia?
(Me too. When do you have time? Let's play
together .)
B: H6u. Sing keih sei h6u mh h6u a?

(Great, how about Thursday?)
A: H6u a.
(Great.)
C. One-liners
Ng6h youh h6u do si hou .
{I have many hobbies.)
2. Ng6h jung yi do bik kouh tuhng teng yam ngohk .

{I like playing squash and listening to music .)
3. Ng6h ting yoht dak hoahn .

{I am free tomorrow.)
4. Ng6h h6u jung yi cheung go.

{I like singing very much .)
5. Ng6h gaau neih youh seui.

{I'll teach you how to swim .)
6. Ng6h mh jung yi teng yiuh gwun ngohk.

{I don't like listening to rock music.)
132
C Aapte r /2 In-teres-ts and -HoBBies
1. Likes and dislikes :

When talking about your hobbies in Cantonese, you will need
to use the same sentence structure that you use in English :
Pronoun+ Adverb + Auxiliary verb+ Verb-Object
a) Ng6h gei jung yi cheung go .

(I) (quite) (like) (singing)
b) Ng6h h6u 1ung yi cheung go .
(I) (very much) (like) (singing)
c) Ng6h rhh jung yi cheung go .
(I) (don't) (like) (singing)
2 . " Let's .. . " / Bat yuh .. . Ia :

To put forward a friendly suggestion , use " Bat yuh ... Ia" in
the following formula :
Bot yuh + subject (pronoun/noun) + verb + Ia
e.g . Bat yuh ng6h deih heui cheung go Ia?
e'
(Let) (us) (go) (singing) (final particle)
(Let's go singing .)
" La " ind icates the invitation or suggestion for doin;~ a certain
thing.
I •-":-a
FILmS
Hong Kong 's large c inemas are divided into bi lingual (UA) and
Ch inese . The bilingual cinemas show Hollywood films, the top
films from other countries, and larger local productions with En-
g lis h subtit les. Hong Kong is the movie-making centre of Asia.
There are two fi lrh studios that concentrate o n nia rt ial a rts a nd
Jove stories. Jack ie Chan is the owner of one of them.
............_____,.._ ...
For the ln d ie fil m fan , Hong Ko ng has th ree ci ne mas to
offer: the Broadway Cinematheq ue in Yau rna Tei , the Hong Ko ng
Fil ni Archive in Sai Wan Ho, and the Cine-Art in Wan Cha i Nort h.
For two weeks in Apr il Hong Kong hosts a large Inte rn atio na l
Fi lm Festival.
-~
133
;)
13 Weather
A. Lingo
Hei wan ml>A temperature

Douh If! degree
Sap douh )Iff! humidity
Baak fohn ji i31BiZ percent
(+number)
nn hei ~It weather
Yiht 1m hot
H6u tin ttf~ good weather
Yam tin II!~ overcast
Nyuhn Ill warm
Leuhng )fit cool
Dung )JR cold
Gon ~ dry
Sap jft wet
Yuh mii rain
Syut ~ snow
Mouh II fog
Yeuhng gwong 61!~ sunshine
~-
Neuih bouh thunderstorm
Bouh yuh Rmii rainstorm
Jaauh yuh l!mii showers
Fung 1m! wind
Toih fung llllml typhoon
H6 lohng ijJfi~ probably
135
No 5we;;t C;;ntonese
Dim !0 how
Ji ~ to, till
Sim dihn 0011 lightning
Seui joi 7J<~ flood
Ging gou .€5 warning
Bo gou il€5 report
Adverbs:
H6u h6u ttfttf very

Gei ~ quite
Mah rna dei MiliittH so so
• l . Terllperature·
In Hong Kong we use oc ond not °F.
Yih sahp do uh =+li 20 ° c
2. Humidit y:
Hutftidity is rileasured in percentage.
Sa p dou h ~/:i humidit y

Baak fahn jB chat sahp BfiliZ.t:+ 70%
Baak fahn j8 is the de nori1inato r, and literally mean s "o ut of

I 00 parts." No te that we actua ll y say the numerator afte r the
denorilinator when talking about fractions.
Baak fahn jB ga u sahp yi h

Sei fahn jB sliam
Bfili2.11 +
ll!lfi};Z.:=
= 92%
136
CAapter/3 weather
B. Chit Chat
A: Airport staff P: Passenger
1. P: Gam yaht Ou hook laohn hei wan gei do douh a?

(What's the temperature today in Auckland?)
A: 26 douh .
(26 degrees.)
2. P: Heung Gong tin hei dim a?

(How' s the weather in Hong Kong?)
A: Hou tin .
(The weather is good .)
3. Amy is reading the newspaper with Peter.

P: Peter A : Amy
P: Amy, Heung Gong gam yoht hei wan gei do douh a?

(Amy, what's the temperature in Hong Kong
today?)
A: Heung Gong gam yoht hei wan hoih 18 douh .

(Todoy's temperature in Hong Kong is 18° C.)
P: Dung Ging (Tokyo) ne?

(How about Tokyo?)
5 A: Dung Ging hoih 19 ji 25 douh .

(Tokyo is 19-25 oq
P: nng yoht Heung Gong ge tin hei wuih dim a?

(What will the weather in Hong Kong be like
tomorrow?)
A: Ho lahng wuih hou tin, y6uh sih y6uh joouh yuh.

(It will probably be sunny with occasional showers.)
137
N o 5we<Jt C<Jntonese
4 . During a rainstorm
RAINSTORM WARNINGS
...
Because of the danger of landslides during and after heavy rain,
the government has a warning system to inform the public about
the seriousness of a storm and to advise appropriate action .
There ore three stages:
wohng slk bouh yuh (Amber) : Kindergartens will be closed ,

and parents requested to pick up their children.
huhng slk bouh yuh (Red) : Some roads may be flooded and
landslides are imminent.
hook slk bouh yuh (Block) : Danger is foreseeable . Most com-

mercial buildings and government offices will be closed, and
everyone apart from daily- or hourly rated workers may enjoy
the day off.
The Hang Kong Observatory broadcasts the warnings on both

TV (look for the icon on the top of the screen!) and radio .
-------11!.•
A mother tells her son that, due to the rainstorm ,
school is cancelled today.
Yih go youh wohng slk (amber) bouh yuh . Neih gam

yaht mh sci faan hohk Ia .
(The Amber Rainstorm warning has just been hoisted.
You don 't have to go to school today.)
B: Hou a . Ngoh gam yaht ho yi hoi ok kei tai dihn sih Ia .

(Great! I can watch TV at home today.)
138
CAap-ter 13
5. During a typhoon
I
TYPHOON WARNINGS
Typhoons are tropical storms that can be devastating . They origi-

nate in the South China Sea and move north towards the
Phillippines, Hong Kong, Guangdong and Taiwan at slightly dif-
ferent times of the year. For Hong Kong, the period between May
and November is typhoon season.
As with the rainstorm warning system , radio and televi-
sion will broadcast the typhoon warnings to the public :
When the Yat houh fong kauh (Typhoon no. 1) is hoisted, the
typhoon is centered within 800 kilometers of Hong Kong. You
should take the possibility of o typhoon into consideration when
planning your days ahead .
When the Saam houh fong kauh (Typhoon no. 3) is hoisted,
the wind is blowing at 41-62 km/ h. You should secure all loose
objects and temporary structures such as scaffolding . All kinder-
gartens will be closed .
When the Boat houh fong kauh (Typhoon no. 8) is hoisted,
the strong winds have officially been classified as a gale or storm.
All schools and commercial offices will be closed . You should put
masking tape on windows in order to prevent flying glass.
With the hoisting of the Gau houh fong kauh (Typhoon no. 9)
or Sahp houh fong kauh (Typhoon no . 1 0), the storm has
become a hurricane . You should stay indoors away from doors
or windows to avoid flying debris.
When there's a typhoon, you will see supermarkets like Park' N'
..
Shop and Wellcome packed with people buying groceries in a
frenzy. Weather conditions above a "Saam hauh fong kauh"
(Typhoon Signal 3) can rapidly deteriorate and be potentially
destructive.
~--~~----,...-- ~
John is telling Lauren to go home .
J: Lauren, yih go do Boat houh fung kouh Ia, neih faai
di faan ok kei Ia.
{lauren, the typhoon no.8 has been hoisted . You'd better
go home~. )
L: Hou a . Neih yih go hoi bin douh a?

(OK. Where are you now?)
J: Ng6h hoi gOng si. Ngoh yih go faan uk kei Ia.

{I am at the office. I am going home now.)
139
No 5we;;f C;;nfonese
C. One-liners
nng yaht Foot gwok wuih lohk syut.

(There will be snow in France tomorrow.)
2. Gam yaht h6u nyuhn .

(It is warm today.)
3. nng yaht Heung Gong wuih do fung .

(There will be a typhoon in Hong Kong tomorrow.)
4. nng yaht Maahn Guk h6u riht.

(It will be hot in Bangkok tomorrow.)
5. Gam yaht Sing Go Bo mh h6u tin.

(Singapore's weather is not good today.)
140
CJ.,ap-ter/3
D. Grammatical notes
1. There are four ways to describe weather:
(i) Time element + adverb + adj
e.g . Gam yaht h6u nyuhn/sap .

(Today} (very} (worm/ wet}
It's very warm/wet today .
(ii) Time element + Verb-Object construction•
e.g . Kahm yaht sfm dihn.

(yesterday} (lightning}
There was lightning yesterday .
• A verb-object construction is a combination of a verb and an

object that can be used as both a single verb and a noun (similar
to the use of the" -ing" construction as a noun, e.g. "the traveling ").
Some other examples are:
Noun Verb-object construction

Leuih bouh (thunder) haahng leuih (thundering)
Toih fung (typhoon) d6 fung (having a typhoon)
Syut (snow) lohk syut (snowing)
(iii) Time element + y6uh/m6uh + Object
e.g . Ting yaht y6uh syut.

(Tomorrow} (has} (snow}
There will be snow tomorrow.
e.g. Sing keih yaht m6uh yeuhng gwong .

(Sunday} (has no} (sunshine}
There will be no sunshine on Sunday .
141
(iv)
Time element + probability + youh/m6uh + Object
e .g. Tlng yaht h6 lahng yauh Boat houh fung kauh.

(Tomorrow) (probably) (have) (Typhoon signal no. 8)
There will probably be a Typhoon signal no . 8
tomorrow.
2. Talking about the future with and without "Wuih" :
a) "Wuih" means "will [probably]" and expresses future

probability. When talking about the weather, it is common to
use "wuih" because weather reports are never 100% reliable!
The structure is:
Time element + wuih + adjective
e .g. Hah go sing keih wuih h6u dung .

(next week) (will) (very cold)
It will [probably] be very cold next week.
It can also be used before a verb to express future intention .
Subject + wuih + verb + object
e.g. Ng6h wuih m6aih luhk chah .

(I will/intend to buy green tea.)
142
Chap-ter/3
b) When the word "wuih" is omitted, the sentence expresses the

definite future . This is especially the case when the time ele-
ment is mentioned.
Time element + verb + object
e.g . Ting yaht y6uh ~

(Tomorrow) (has) (~now)
There will [definitely] be snow tomorrow .
Time element + Subject + verb + object
e.g . Yeuhng sin saang ting yaht aan jau hoi wui.
(Yeung) (Mr.) (tomorrow offernoon)(hove meeting)
Mr. Yeung will [definitely] be in a meeting
tomorrow afternoon.
143
14 In the Kitchen
A. lingo
mmi
"
Chyuh sl chef
Choih liu Jmit:l ingredients
Yip liu llit:l marinade
Faatgwok choi >nlllm French-style dish
Junggwok choi q:JIIIM Chinese-style dish
Yahtbun choi sznm Japanese-style
dish
Yandouh choi ED ~JiM Indian-style dish
Tauh pun fill entree
Jyu choi ~m main dish
~-
Leang pun cold dish
nhm ban m~ dessert
Hoi waih choi f!Jl!JJM appetizer
S!H!SQnings:
Ylhm g salt
Tohng
Jeung yauh
nuh meih liu
•
ll)fb
iJJDmit:l
sugar
soya sauce
spices
Chou M vinegar
Ga lei fan lllllllim curry powder
Wuh jlu fan
Syun
Choi yauh
-M)fb
DH&Iim
iiiiii
pepper
garlic
cooking oil
M6ih j6u rn>l!i rice wine
Yuhk gwai ~IIi coriander
Gai fan jljffl chicken stock
Geung
• ginger
145
0 Cooking ·
F6
Moh *
1ft
fire
grate
Chit seui tDti$ mince
Chit lap tDim dice
Mok peih !i!J 11{ peel
G6au M beat
BRi sift
,.m
Sai
Gw61euih mli puree
Yuhng melt
Guhk bake
Haau ~ roast
Jyu ~ boil
Ch6au ~ fry
Jing 1A steam
•*~
Maahn f6 jyu simmer
Bo gwan ~)a bring to the boil
146
CJ.,apter I+ In -tk ki-tcJ.,en
Kitcbeo uteosils ·
Pun 13 tray 0
·~
Chaan geuih cutlery
Boon II& (cutting) board
Bou ffi cloth
Gang
Dang
Faai ji
•
f~
lfR~
spoon
chair
chopsticks
Mouh gan ~rn towel
~-
ah chim toothpick
Wun fii! bowl
Hok ~9 ladle
Bui ~ cup
Cha ~ fork
Dou 7J knife
Dip liJll plate
Chaan gan •rn napkin
Biii jin ~IB coaster
~-
Syut gwaih refrigerator
Guhk louh
Gw6 jap gei
m•
m>tJm
oven
mixer
Cheuhng beng
wohk
~~· saucepan
Pihng d6i wohk ~!§II pan

Bo j2 pot/container
B6 sin ji f~i¥00 plastic wrap
147
N o Swe;J t C;Jn tonese
B. Chit Chat
0 1. A: Di Di, mh goi hoi louh .
(Di Di, please turn on the oven .)
D: H6u a. Gei do douh a?

(OK . To which temperature?)
A: Yet book boat sahp douh .

(180 degrees.)
2. A: Sin, ga yauh, yihn hauh d6u di tiuh meih liu lohk

heui.
(First, add oil, then pour in the seasonings.)
D: H6u a . Yihn hauh le?

(OK. And then?)
148
CAapter/4 In -tf.,e ki-td,en
3. A: Neih jung yi jyu Jung-gwok choi dihng Faatgwok

choia?
(Do you prefer to cook Chinese or French dishes?)
D: Ng6h jung yi jyu Junggwok choi dQ.di.

(I prefer to cook Chinese dishes rru:u:e.)
A: Dim g6ai a?
(Why?)
D: Yon waih ng6h mh sik jyu Faatgwok choi .

(Because I can't cook French dishes.)
A: Mh g6n yiu . Ng6h Q.O.O.U neih jyu Ia.

(That's no problem . Let me~ you how to cook.)
D: H6u a. Gei sih a?

(OK. When?)
A: nng m6ahn Ia.

(Tomorrow night.)
C . One-liners
1. Mh goi hoi louh.

(Please turn on the oven .)
2. Mh goi soan louh.

(Please turn off the oven .)
3. Ng6h mh sik yuhng faai jf.

(I can't use chopsticks .)
4. Mh goi yuhng dung seui/yiht seui.

(Please use cold water/ hot water.)
149
No 5we<Jt C<Jntonese
5. Mh goi d6u di tiuh meih lohk heui .

(Please pour in the seasonings.)
6. Mh goi go yauh .
(Please add oil.)
7. Mh h6u yuhng laaih leuih.

(Don 't use dairy products.)
8. Mh h6u yuhng dean .

(Don ~ t use eggs.)
9. Cheng seung choi.

(Please serve the food.)
10. Ng6h deui _ _ _ mahn gam .

(I'm allergic to _ _ _ . )
D . Grammatical Notes
1 . Final part icle " le " :

The final particle "le" means "how about" in English .
e.g. Yi hn hauh le?
(And then ?)
150
CJ.,apter I+ In -t:J.,e ki-tcJ.,en
•• A CHINESE RECIPE
This is one of my favorite local recipes. Try to figure out how to

make ill The English translation is in Appendix IV.
Drunken Chicken (Jeui goi)

In my humble opinion, "Jeui gai" is the most unique and
delicious dish in Chinese gourmet. Found in many famous
restaurants in both Hong Kong and overseas, it uses a simple
recipe that can be followed easily by amateur cooks. Use this
dish to impress your Chinese guests! You' ll probably have as
much fun with it as I did when I tried to make muffins and
sushi .
Ingredients (Choih liu) :

2 1/2 bohng Gai
1 gang Ylhm
2/ 3 gang Gai fan
1 1/ 3 boi Maih jau
leuhng gang Choi yciuh
gei pin (a few pieces of) Geung
2 1/ 2 gang Tohng
1 go chit seui Syun tciuh
siu siu Yuhk gwai
1/4 gang Wuh jiu fan
Steps:
1. Sin sci (wash) jek giii, ~ baai hai .bQ leuih mihn.
2. Go 2/ 3 gang giiijQn, 1/3 boi ~ tuhng Wlj. Seui yiu
k2i..gy,-Q (cover) jek gai, ylhn hauh hoi daaih f6 b6 gwan.
3. Maahn f6 jyu 20 fan jung.
4 . Baai gai hai dip seuhng mihn.
5. Ylhn hauh d6u di lluh meih liu lohk heui gai seuhng mihn:
I2hng, 1 boi ~. rlbm, wuh iiu f6n tuhng choi y6uh
6 . Yuhng b6 sin ji beau jek gai, ribn..IJIDih baai hai syut gwaih
yip yet maahn.
7. Daih yih yoht (next day), jeung jek gai dJii.Wn, ylhn hauh
dung sihk.
So how well did you do? If you ' re not sure , the English
translation is in Appendix IV .
--~ .............r,.._-..,,..
151
15 Chinese Dim Sum and
Local Cafes
Pari 1: Dim Sum
A. l Lingo
A Se l ect i on of Dim Sum
Ha gaau li~
Cffiile) Dim Sam:
shrimp dumpling
Qi
Siu maai
Cha slu sou
m•
~-~~
steam pork ball
BBQ pork puff pastry
Cheun gyun eft Cantonese spring roll
Cha slu beau ~tlftJ steamed BBQ pork bun
Lihn yuhng beau IlifftJ lotus seed paste with
egg -yolk bun
Fuhng jaau lllffi chicken feet
Gai jaat Jill chicken bundle
Choigaau m~ vegetable dumpling
Cheung fan OIIB rice roll
Jaai cheung ;:wg vegetarian rice roll
Ha cheung fiftl shrimp rice roll
Ngouh yuhk !t~ beef ball
Youh choi >mm vegetable
Wuh g6k ~tQ fried taro dumpling
Gun tong g6au )I).G~ steamed dumpling
stuffed with mince pork
and chicken soup
Ma laai gou ~mf!i steamed sponge cake
Hoh yihp faahn frii~ti steamed fried rice in
lotus leaf wrapping
153
Dim Sum is the English spelling of Dim Sam. However, the pro-
nunciation "Sum" has been used so much that it has become
the common way to say ond write it.
Ofm Sam literally means "a little bit of heart" and it refers
to food that comes in small portions in a variety of shapes, col-
ors and combinations of tastes. The Cantonese are proud of
this unique cuisine, and dim sum to the Cantonese is as impor-
tant as wine is to the French.
Dim sum, especially the steamed varieties, are normally
served in the "bamboo steamer" - called a "luhng" (cage) in
Cantonese- and the rest are served on plates, or "dihp."
The dim sum lunch, "yam chah," is a popular activity, par-
ticularly on Sundays, as that is the traditional day on which the
family eats out. "Yam chah" literally means "tea break," and
refers to the simultaneous activities of eating dim sum and drink-
ing gallons of tea during the event.
In older restaurants the dim sum is wheeled out in stacks
to each table by the "trolley girl," or "a je" in Cantonese. "A je''
actually means 11 COmpetent woman /' and is considered a term
of respect. It can also be slang for tea lady at the office. To order
a portion of dim sum that is passing by on a trolley, just wave to
the trolley girl and say, "a je, mh goi" and the dish you wantl
154 ···~-·
Cl-.ap-ter/5 CMnese Dim Sum and Local Cales
C hin ese Desser ts <!faa) Tihm ba n: Q

Huhng douh sa ~IE)!l\ sweet red bean
paste soup
Doohn toot mnt custard tort
Jo wahn tan ~Re deep tried
dumpling with
sweet & sour
sauce
Ji mah gyun :ZMi~ sweet block
sesame roll
Douh fuh fa EiHt tofu sweet dessert
Mong gw6 bou din cJIHfi 'iiil mongo pudding
Hohng yahn chah ~1=~ cream of almond
Hoohptouh louh 3$1UI cream of walnut
Soong gw6 pun g:mm~ fresh fruit plotter
Types of Chinese tea < tPiiil~) Junggwok chah:
Heung pfn jasmine tea

P6u lei pu ' er
Wu lung oolong tea
Tit gun yam iron buddha
Leuhng chah Chin ese herbal
tea
155
B.l Chit Chat
Mandy is taking James out for lunch .

M : Mandy J: James
1. M: James, neih seung yam mat yeh chah a?

(James, what kind of tea do you like to drink?)
J: Heung pfn, h6u rhh h6u a?

{Is jasmine tea fine?)
M: H6u . Neih seung sihk mot yeh a?

(Good . What do you like to eat?)
J: Ng6h seung yiu ho gaau, gai jaat tuhng jaai dim

sam .
{I would like to have shrimp dumplings, chicken
bundle and vegetarian dim sum .)
2 . Ordering food from the trolley.

J: James A : A je (Trolley girl)
J: A je, rhh goi leuhng go mong gw6 bou din .

(Miss, two mango puddings, please .)
A: H6u a. Neih di Gw6ngdung wa h6u h6u a.)

(OK. Your Cantonese is very good .)
J: Do jeh saa i.
{Thank you very much.)
3 . At the end of the lunch ...
M: James, yiu rhh yiu tlhm ban a?

(James, do you want desert?)
J: Do jeh Ia, ng6h beau Ia.

{Thank you very much . I am full already.)
156
Ct,ap-ter 15 CMnese Dim SUM and Local Cales
M: Gam , ng6h deih mooih doon Ia.

(Well, let's pay the bill.)
J: Do jeh sooi . Di yeh h6u h6u sihk a.

(Thank you very much . The food was very
delicious.)
M: Mhsai.
(You ore welcome.) t. ~
4
. . . . . . . .0. . . . . . ~~~·;
TIPS FOR DINING
Chinese table etiquette may be different from what you ore used
to. Taking note of the following tips will be useful to getting along
with friends and business associates alike:
1. Guests wait for the host to start before helping themselves.
In the family environment, we normally wait for our par-
ents to start before we proceed .
2. Do not toke the lost piece of food from the dish . Otherwise,
the host may think he or she has nat been hospitable
enough by cooking enough to fill your stomach .
3. We normally sit at a round table that allows the diners to
eat facing each other without differentiation of status.
4. If you wont to refill the teapot at a Dim Sum restaurant,
just leave the lid balanced on the rim of the teapot. The
waitress will fill it up with hot water again.
5. If someone at your table pours you tea, you should lightly
top the table with one or more fingers to show your
appreciation .
6. If someone invites you out to dinner, it normally means he
or she would like to pay for the dinner. Don 't insi st on
shoring the bill.
7. It is customary for the Chinese to leave tips in cosh in
Chinese restaurants.
8. In Chinese culture, dishes are delivered to the middle of
the table and they ore not supposed to be passed around .
_________,..___...
We simply pick the food we wont with our chopsticks .
9. When your chopsticks touch a piece of food , you should
eat it to be polite.
10 . Use both hands . The left hand holds the bowl while the
right hand holds the chopsticks.
157
No Swe<1f Ciin f onese
Part 2: In a Local Cafe ~~~·

A.2 Lingo
0 Alcoho l ( )@) Jau:
Bejou IJ!j@ beer

Go sih book a±te Carlsberg
Sang lihk g:1J San Miguel
Baahkjou S)@ white wine
Heung ban m~r champagne
Huhng jou fi)@ red wine
Non-Alcoholic drinks ( ~~)@lb F# i jau neuih
Tea ( ~) Chith:
Junggwok chah t+Iml~ Chinese tea

Huhng chah n~ black tea
Luhk chah ~~ green tea
Ning chah ~~ lemon tea
Noaih chah ttB~ milk tea
Heung pin mf1 jasmine tea
Yahtbun chah Bzti~ Japanese tea
Yandouh chah ED~~ Indian tea
Juice <m)t) gw6 ilip:
Bolohjap jifijt pineapple juice

Choang jap IKf)t orange juice
Faan ke jap Moo>t tomato juice
Faan sehk lou jap fi6Mi)t guava juice
Pihng gw6 jap •m>t apple juice
158
Charter /5 Chinese DiM SUM and Local Ca.tes
STREET FOOD
Outdoo r cafes, "daai h paai h dong" ( ~f.t~IJtib and st ree t sta ll s

can be found everywhere in Hong Kong, from the back a lleys of
mongkok to Central. Often they are the on ly places you ' ll find
serving genuine local food at extrerile ly cheap prices, so it's use-
fu l to have a few phrases handy for the nex t time you fancy hav-
ing a bowl of beef brisket noodles on the street.
Other local cafes, the " chah chaan t#ng" ( ~··) are
also popu lar in Hong Kong. These cafes are norma ll y packed
with office workers and students during lunchtirite . They serve
loca l food at a low price . Some are also known to open all night,
and after a long night of partying many local youngsters can be
seen chatting away over a steaming plate of fried rice, at 4 or 5 in
the morning.
Ot h ers:
Seui 7.1\ water

Yiht seui ~7.1\ hot water
Dung seui )17.1\ cold water
Ga fe IVIIIU~ coffee
ill~
H6 lohk
Back si h
Chat hei
s•
t::~
Coca-cola
Pepsi
7-up
Syut bik ~m Sprite
N6aih ttl3 milk
159
No Swe<1t C<intonese
0 Snac k s c/J\m) Si u sih k:

Gai yihk
Scam mahn jih
Dean jih
••
-~·A
.=.
m·A
)c
)c
chicken wings
sandwich
egg sandwich
Tan nah yu jih eGit>g tuna sandwich
Gong sl scam fi~=~ club sandwich
•A
mahn jih )c
Teui dean jih lllm>g egg and ham
sandwich
Sai do sf il§~± French toast
Ngauh yuhk mihn
~~- beef noodles
~··
Ngauh leahm beef brisket
mihn noodles
Wahn tan mihn ~a• wanton noodles
Jyu pe foohn Rt/\ni pork chop rice
Hoi naahm gai >m~mn& Hainan chicken
foehn rice
Gon cheou ngauh iZ~~jijJ dry-fried rice
h6 noodles with beef
Go lei gai foohn IUD Dian& curry chicken rice
Sing jau cheou mHH~m Singaporean fried
mei rice noodles
160
CJ.,ap-ter/5 CMnese Dim SUM and Local Ca.Pes
B.2 Chit Chat
Jay is trying to practice Cantonese at the local cafe .

A : Waitress J: Jay
1. A: Neih h6u , cheng mahn yiu mot yeh a?

(Hello, what would you like to order?)
J: Yauh mot yeh be jau a?

(What kind of beer do you have?)
A: Ng6h deih yauh Go sih back tuhng Ching d6u.

(We have Carlsberg and Tsing Tao.)
J: Mh goi, ng6h seung yiu Ching d6u.

(I would like to have Tsing Tao please.)
2. A: Cheng mahn sihk mot yeh a?

(What would you like to eat?)
J: Mh goi, yet gihn sci do si.

(One French toast please.)
A: Cheng mahn yam mot yeh a?

(What would you like to drink?)
J: Mh goi, yet bui dung nfng chah .

(One cold lemon tea please.)
After the meal ...
J: Maaih dean, mh goi.

(Bill, please.)
A: Do jeh scam sahp men .

(It's $30.)
161
·0 C. One-liners
1. Ng6h seung dehng t6i.

(I would like to make a reservation .)
2. Leuhng wai, mh goi.

(Two persons, please .)
3. Ng6h seung yiu cheung hau wai .

(I would like to hove a table by the window.)
4. Ng6h seung yiu ka wai .

(I would like to hove a booth seat.)
5. Chaon paoi, mh goi.

(Menu, please.)
6. Ng6h seung sihk tlhm ban .

(I would like to eat some dessert.)
7. Ng6h seung sihk gai joot.

(I would like to eat chicken bundle .)
8. DT yeh h6u sihk.

(The food is delicious.)
9. Mh goi mooih dean.

(Check please.)
10. Cheng dang dang.

(Please wait a moment.)
11. Ng6h sihk jaoi ge.

(I om a vegetarian .)
12 . Ng6h seung dehng jaoi dim sam.

(I wont to reserve a vegetarian dim sum.)
162
CJ.,ap-ter 15 CJ.,inese Dim SL.Wl and Local Ca.tes
13. Ng6h jung yi dim sam.

(I like dim sum .)
14. Mh goi bei yot bui seui ngoh.

(Would you please give me a gloss of water?)
15. Mh sai jaou.

(Keep the change.)
D. Grammatical
1. "Tuhng" :
"Tuhng" means "and" and is also placed between two nouns.
e .g. Ngoh deih yauh ho gaou tuhng siu maoi.

We hove shrimp dumpling and steamed pork.
e .g Wu lung choh tuhng seui . r

Oolong teo and water. TIP : "Yihn houh " also
means "and ," but links a
sequence of events or ac-
tions (see Chapter 5 .0 .2).
e.g. Heui yam choh yihn houh heui gei cheuhng .

Go to hove dim sum and then go to the airport.
163
No 5weilf Ciinfonese
2. Yiu ... dihng .. . ? :

"Yiu" means "want" and "Oihng " means "or," but they are
only used in the form of a question .
Subject+"yiu"+object 1 +"dihng"+object 2+"a"+?
e .g . Ne ih ri.l.l. chah dihng seu1 a?

(you) (.wantl(tea) (!2£) (wafer)(final particle)
Would you prefer tea or water?
3 . " Oehng " :

"Oehng" means "reserve."
e .g . Neih y6uh m6uh dehng t6i a?

(Have you reserved a table?)
4 . "Jung yi":
"Jung yi" means "to like." The structure is exactly the same as in
English :
Pronoun + jOng yi + noun
e .g . Ng6h jung yi cha slu sou .

(I like BBQ pork puff pastry.)
5 . "01 ":
" 01" is a measuring word marking the plural form or
noncountable things .
e .g . Mh goi bei dl yiht seui ng6h deih.

(Please give us some hot water.)
164
Chap-ter 15 CAinese Dim SU/'Vl and Local Ca.tes
6 . "Seung":
"Seung" means "want to." The sentence structure is exactly the
same as in English .
For a positive statement:
Ng6h seung sihk gai yihk .

(I want to eat chicken wings.)
For a negative statement:
Ng6h rhh seung sihk gai yihk.

(I don't want to eat chicken wings.)
And in the question form:
Neih seung rhh seung sihk gai yihk a?

(Do you want to eat chicken wings?)
165
Appe"dices
N o 5we<Jf C<Jn t onese
Appendix 1: Geographical Terms

H on g K on g pl ace names
Heung gong dou 9)1~ Hong K on g I sl and :
Seuhng waahn 1::1§ Sheung Wan

Mahn mouh mfu 5{~· Man Mo Temple
Hoh leih wuht fq'j~52Hl Hollywood Road
douh
Malo goai lfildlfij Cat Street Bazaar
(Lascar Road)
Bun soan keui $Lll!A Mid-levels
Soan deng LUM The Peak
Gauh soan deng l!LUM;J Old Peak Road
douh
JOng waahn cpl§ Central
Laahn gwai fong illilfiil.i Lon Kwai Fong
~-
Gam jOng Admiralty
Heung gong gOng m>~flll Hong Kong Park
yun
Taai gu gwong :t'\o/1111 Pacific Place
cheuhng
Woan jai 111B Wanchai
Tuhng loh woan
Paau mah dei
nn hauh mfu
•••
ifi!~t:ID
~FolD
Causeway Bay
Happy Valley
Tin Hau Temple
Jok yuh chong 1~$.~ Quarry Bay
Daa ih lohng woan 7'\5&111 Tai Long Wan
Sehk ou o>lfl Shek 0
Daaih taahm 7'\)1 Tai Tam
168
Appendi>< I qecx:,rapJ,ical Ter711?s
Chek chyuh nnn Stanley

Chin seui wean >17.k)11 Repulse Bay
Hoi yeuhng gung jfaj$fllll Ocean Park
...
yun
Heung gong jai m>~G Aberdeen
Leih dou Outlying Islands
Daaih yuh soan ~•w Lantau Island

Gei cheuhng 11111 Airport
~ffi
••a
Daaih faht Big Buddha
Bolihn jf Polin Monastery
Cheuhng jau §HH Cheung Chou
Jeung bo jai ~fJfiG)I6J Cheung Po Tsai
duhng Cave
Naahm aa dou ~'(.@ Lamma Island
Gau luhng fUJI Kowloon
Jim sa jeui ~j!Jlrul Tsim Sha Tsui

Hoi gong sihng jfB)ftfli Harbour City
Jim dung ~m Tsim Sha Tsui East
··~·
Chuhng hfhng Chungking
daaih hah Mansions
Leih duen douh -~ll Nathan Road
Go lihn wei louh 1JD illtt'i ~ Granville Road
douh ll
Miuh gaai llfti Temple Street
Neuih yan gaai ttAfti Lady's Market
Gam yuh gaai ~ti.fti Goldfish Market
Heung gong mahn gj)ft)(ft Hong Kong
fa jung sam ¢11~ Cultural Center
169
Lihk si bok moht

If!~-~ History Museum
gun IS
Taai hung gun t'\~18 Space Museum
G6u luhng gOng 11~fllll Kowloon Pork
yun
G6u luhng sihng 11~tli- Kowloon Walled
jooih gOng yun fill City Pork
Leih yuh muhn
-~f!E3 Lei Vue Mun
San gooi ifW New Territories
Dooih bo 1'\tm Toi Po
~-
Chyuhn wean Tsuen Won
Fan lehng IB~ Fonling
Sa tihn >~EB Shotin
Che gOng miu @fliiO Che Kung Temple
Sai gung il9a Sci Kung
Hong wuh youh ~>mimi! Morino Cove
tehng wui
Ching seui wean •
)Ji7..l<i11 Clear Water Boy
170
Appendix I C:.ecx.rapt,ical Ter1'Yls
a:
When foreign words enter the Chinese language, they ore as-
signed characters that ore phonetically similar to their originals.
The most obvious example of this is found in the names of cities
and countries. Here's a selection plus some Chinese and Japa-
nese place names, arranged alphabetically according to their
Cantonese pronunciation.
••
6h fuh hohn HID11H Afghanistan A
6h m6uh sl dahk HIDIIIHMft~ Amsterdam
dean f!}
6h laai baaklyuhn HIDmfe• United Arab
hahp yauh jeung ~~slill Em irates
gwok
aai kahp ~~ Egypt
ba gei sl t6an E!!l!Mftt§ Pakistan B
ba lahm E!!Jml Bahrain
ba laih E!!~ Paris
ba leih dou ~m& Bali
ba sci f:!!il§ Brazil
bak glng jtffi Beijing
ban sihng fltlii Penang
bo laahn ~ill Poland
bo sih deun ~±iii Boston
bou leih sl bun mmwrzn Brisbane
daaih boon ~8& Osaka D
dean mahk f!lW Denmark
dak gwok ~Iii germany
do leuhn do ~1ft~ Toronto
171
N o Sw ei/ t Ciinton ese
douh baai ttn Dubai

dong ging mffi Tokyo
F fact gwok >ne France
faat laahn hack >nilliR:~ Frankfurt
fok
faht loh leih daaht fftllmii F lorid a
jau +H
fan laahn ~iii Finland
fei leuht ban nf!s Phil ippines
~-
fok gong Fukuoka
G go jau 1JD+H Californ ia
g6an poh jaaih ~1UtUI Cambodia
go nah daaih 1JD8~ Canada
gat luhng bo a !111m Kuala Lumpur
go leuhn bei ah IHttt~ Colombia
go leuhn bou IHtffi Colombo
gong jau II+H guangz h ou
H hei lihp ffiltl greece
heung gong m>fi Hong Kong
hoh loan fifiilli Holland
hoh noih jg} 1'9 Hanoi
hoi yon si m~M Cairns
hon sihng iltm Seoul
J jaat fong ~Udf Sapporo
ji go go z1JDS Chicago
ji leih fii~U Chile
L leih maht po ~U!WI»fi Liverpool
leih pok yfh Ft>811 Nepal
leuhn deun ft~ London
-~
loh mah Rome
loh wai flllltt'i Norway
172
Appendix I C:.ecx.rapf.,ical Tef""MS
lohk chaam gei )§~~Sl Los Angeles

maahn chit si dahk ••m~ Manchester M
-~
maahn guk Bangkok
maahng m6aih Mil¥~ Bombay
maaih 6h meih lii!QJ~ rhiarfu
mah loih sai a F.lfi*il§~ malaysia
mah neih laai F.lfiieJll manila
m6h yih doih fu F.lfillft~ maldives
mahk sai go 11il§lf mexico
mahk yih bun llllztt melbourne
meih gwok ~m! U.S.A
mihng gu uk so~ Nagoya
mouh leih kauh si :em~m mauritius
muhng dahk leih ii~ifUII montreal
yih
muhng gu Bo mongolia
naahm fei ~~~ South Africa N
~-
naahm hohn South Korea
n6u yeuk ~~~ New York
n6uh sci laahn ~il§il New Zealand
oih yih laahn fill ill Ireland 0
ou deih leih ti!l~ifU Austria
ou hook laahn ti!l:Rili Auckland
oujau >liHHi Australia
ou mun jliJ~ macau
pack si lfEIMij Perth p
pouh touh ah iliftii~ Portugal
scam foehn sih =Mffi San Francisco s
sci on il§'B Xi 'an
sam jan jfR !Ill Shenzhen
seuih din Jili~Hl Sweden
173
N o 5we<!f C<infonese
seuih sih JMI± S witzer la nd

sheuhng hoi J::>fa Sh a n g hai
si leih laohn ka WHeii~ Sri Lank a
sing go bo ~1JD:tiX S in ga p o re
sou laih soi
-~ttt Z uri c h
suk mouh
syut leih
m•
~IE
Ce bu
Sydn ey
T tooi gwok ~m11 T h ai la nd
toih waon iS )II Ta ip e i
t6u yfh keih ±:EUt Turkey
w wai leih si ~fEfttj Ve n ice
wai yfh si ~·fttj Wa les
waih yah loohp Ml~~ Vien n a
wan go wah >aini Vanco u ver
wuh ji mihng sfh OHiEB~ffi Ho C h i minh C ity
y yoht bun BZII Japan
yon douh ED~ In dia
yon neih ED IE In dones ia
yeh go dooht QB1JDW J akarta
yeuhk hohn noih ~~fil'9fttj J o h a nn es bu rg
si b6u ~
yi dooih leih Mt\H:U Ita ly
ying gwok iijjjj U. K.
yi si t6on b6u f1ifttj:t§~ I stan bu I
yuht naohm ifl1~ V ietnam
174
Appendix II: Idioms and Slang
Expressions
A . ldioms
I. a!Mftil;if'ODtjM.!!I!~ .
Duhk maahn gyun syu, bat yuh haang maahn leih louh.
Trave l is the best education.
Literally: Rather than study ten thousand books, why not
travel ten thousand miles instead.
2. Ill~~ ifiHI
Saan gou wohng da ih yuhn.
Whi le the cat is away, th e mt ce will p lay.
Literally: The mountain is tall and the Emperor is far away.
3. 07..1<~!&!~
H6u seui do gwo chah .
He / she t a l k s too mu c h .
Literally: He/she has m ore sali va than tea.
4. rB~rffi
Lohk ga u si.
It 's rainin g cats a nd do gs.
Literally: Falling dog poo.
5. ~g~-
rh o uh chyiin mouh laahn .
Eve ryt h in g is O.K .
Literally: Th ere 's no hole, nothing is broken.
175
6. MI5.JIP1A~
Goi tuhng ngaap gong .
Co mmunic a ti o n b a rri e r.
Literally: L 1ke a chicken is talking with a duck
7. n~~ug~io~
06 yuhn jooi mh yiu woh seung .
To t a k e so m eo n e fo r g r an te d.
Literally: To expel the monk after the chanting is over.
8° -lltll!m iiii tim

Yot geuk doohp leuhng syuhn.
A p erso n w ho i s unfa it h f ul , d a ti ng two p eo pl e at a
t i me.
Literally: One foot stepping on two boats.
9. -'r'J~fl-timA
Vat jti k go u da yat sy uhn ya hn.
Pa in t eve r ybo d y w ith th e same b ru s h .
L iterally: To kill all with a sing le blow.
I O .~B~~
Ng6ai j6i do g6i.
(thi s is untranslatabl e!)
Literally: A short !fu y has a resouceful mind.
II. ~~ffH<~
Yih gwo je f6 .
Easy job, a p iece of cake.
Literally: Easier than lighting a fire.
12. ~~~ug~
Y auh laa ht ya uh § h laaht.
T here are bot h pros a n d co n s.
Literally: There 's both spicy and non-spicy.
176
Appendi>< II Idioms and S lane, e><Pressions
13. •oo7it
maa ih mihn gwo ng .
A hypo c rit e .
Literally: B uy ing face shine.
14. fijftig:1ft{i!jfX
Yauh yeh saang m6uh Ia gaau.
To h ave p a r e nt s but t o lac k goo d p a r e nt a l g uid an ce.
Literally: Th ere 's a father to sire th e child but no m other to
teach it.
1s. ~lffiiHiDaJ!l
Jan j y u do u m6 uh ga m j a n.
Thi s is ge nuin e.
L iterally: Not even a p eMl is more genuine than that.
16. 1:32~1:32.
Jih gei ji jih gei sih .
On e kn ow's w h at o n e's d o in g .
17. ~=j3E3~
T ip c ho muh n sa hn .
Peo pl e can 't get a lo n g , f ig h t in g l ike cats and dogs.
Literally: The Door-god 's wrongly pasted on the door.
~?~
• •
177
B. Slang Expressions
Every:day: Life:
cheuih pin 6)1@ help yourselves

chemg yuhng ying ~~~iQ}t please say that in
man gong 5I English
chOng leuhng )!ll)ffi take a shower
chOng seui )!ll7.k pour water
daap t6i mta to share a table ie,
especially in the
Chinese restaurant
ding ding JJ tram - because of
the sound
faai di ~~1(19 hurry up
go fe moi DlllMHtm parking warden
(literally: coffee
lady)
goon dihp lm~ undercover
-~
gai peih goosebumps
hook oih lli§fi dumbfounded
h6u sihk lttf!i yummy
h6u yeh ltt®t good stuff
j6u bing ~)~ no ice (e.g. when
ordering a soft
drink)
~-
j6u b6 miss out on a
good deal, let go
of a good thing
~-
j6u cheng no spring onions,
e.g. on the top of
the congee
178
Appendix II Idioms and S!anr,. expressiof15
~-
jou gai miss out on o
greatly valued
thing/a good deal
jou youh ~jfb no oil (when
ordering veg-
etables in a
Chinese
restaurant)
jiu gou moahn ngh m1l~:n working 9 :00am
to 5:00pm
jyu pohng gou RHHifiJ~ bad mates lead
youh you astray
maahn moan ill ill take your time
moh foahn Mi~ troublesome/
dodgy
rhh soi haahk hei IIBR~ml don't mention it
ngaai gaau OX;( at loggerheads
neih sin fffi~ after you
soan ji B:f small change
sap sap seui ~>II~ frivol things/
meagre money
sou seng L&ll shut up
yahp ng6h sou J\flE my treat
youh m6uh goau filHIH what a ridiculous
cho thing
179
Entertainment :
sou yuh chaai jih

~~-~ c ha r a d es
duhng dok siu Ifill~ sta nd-up come dy
gong siu ~~ j ok in g
luhk hoohp ch6i 7\8~ lottery
yauh g6n seui neii7.k "dry swi mming" -
i.e. Play ing
mahj o ng beca use
th e gestures are
li ke those of
swimmi ng
Ever)<'dOJ<' J2eOJ2Ie :
bei pei sfu yahn ~liiWtA creep

chou h6u ~D smelly breath
chou wuh ~Mil\ smelly armpit
che peih tfu
~JJ:~· pimp
cheun jyo IIR stupid like a pig
fa pihng ~mi fake , superficial
foot haouh ~tt~ a flirt
fong pei ~Itt fort
go hohn
haahm sap iM*
-~
stingy
horny/sleazy
loan hoi Mfm Go away! (lit. :
crawl away!)
m6h lou ij§ll naughty kid (lit.:
monkey)
mouh lahng 1M BE impotent
oih biu si mahn, 9~fiM decent looking but
loih leuih "open" )(.1'9. actually promiscu-
OPEN ous
180
Appendix II IdioMs and Slane, e'J(f'ressions
paaih gwat t:lHU. skinny person (lit.:

spore-ribs)
seui peih 7..1<~ sloppy
sik lohng §~~ rapist
soh gwa 11/a silly in on odor-
able way (lit.: silly
melon)
Romance:
Ill OM
••
chlhng fu mistress
gai dou brothel
leng douh bei IU¥Ufil absolute ly
gorgeous, stun-
ning
mihn huhng im~I to blush (literally:
a person ' s face
becomes red)
soot sihk ~m attractive looki ng
persons (male or
fema le)
seuhn ~ pure
sing muhk neui IU3tt smart lady
sing gam lltml sexy
tlhm m sweet
tuhng geui 15.Jfei living together but
not married
waih yat Ill- unique
yahn yfu Attn transvestite
181
No Swe:;t C:;ntonese
Appendix Ill: Glossary
English Cantonese Chinese Chagter

A 20 minutes yih sahp fan =+Bil 5
jung
chat hei t::R 15
••
7-up
a beard wuh sou 4
abalone baau yuh lilflt 8
accountant wuih gai si aB-tBili
~·
afternoon hah jau 10
at/in hoi 111 11
aisle seat jou long WO ~film 10
Airport express Gei cheuhng faai MtJU1aJ 5
sin
airport tax gei cheuhng Mt;im 10,11
seui
apple juice plhng gwo jap iWHt~)t 15
apple
appetizer
plhng gwo
hoi waih choi
•m
~m~m
8
14
about/approxi daaih yeuk 1'\~~ 10
mately
after/passing by gwo jo ~~ 5
aisle seat jou long WO ~film 10
aisle/middle seat jung goon woi I:Pimm 10, 11
B bus basi !!!± 5, 11
bus station basi jaahm !!!±no 7
beer bejou Ill >I§ 15
bra hung waih !JijiJ 15
182
Appendix Ill qfossary
bed chohng lffi 6

bell pepper cheng jiu Jill 8
bring to a boil bo gw6n ji 14
~-
big build/well built daaih jek 4
bald gwong tauh ~fin 4
business class gung mouh fi~1ll 10
w6i
baggage hahng leih fi~ 10
baggage tag hahng leih p6ai fi~~~ 10
behind/ at the hauh mihn ~00 7
back
black tea
butcher
huhng chah
broad shoulders waahng
jyu yuhk p6u
,.nM
R~lli
15
4
7
balcony keh 16u 161111 6
basement deihlouh ~~ 6
boxer shorts ma yin tung H~l&l 8
bath yuhk gong ~Iii 6
bake guhk rl 14
BBQ pork Puff cha siu sou :SZ*IB 15
Pastry
-~
bookcase syu g6 6
blush yin ji Ill iii 8
before/In front of/ chlhn mihn i!iim 5,7
just ahead
bakery shop
bathroom
mihn baau p6u
chung leuhng
.'81.
j{J])ffi/J§
7
6
bank ngahn hohng iHfi 7
beat g6au tl 14
bedroom seuihf6ng 1115§ 6
~-·
beef brisket ngauh l6ahm 15
183
beef, beef ball ngouh yuhk tt=~ 8,15

(dim sum)
beef noodles ngouh yuhk tt=~• 15
mihn
boutique sih jong dim ~~fE5 7
behind/ hauhmihn ~iii 7
at the back
baggage carts sou teui che ~mm 10
blouse seuhng scam 1::1~ 8
broccoli sci laahn fa imillft: 8
beside gaakloih 6iiM 7
book/ reserve dehng ~ 10
board ban Jr« 14
boarding gate dang gei muhn IIlii~ 10,11
boarding pass dang gei jing IIlii IDE 10,11
bowl wun fiJi! 14
boyfriend noahm pohng ~HH~ 3
yauh
butcher jyuyyhk p6u R~M 7
chopsticks faai ji ~:f 14
c cold water dung seui )jftJ.J< 15

cold dung )jft 13
cup boi ~ 14
coaster boi jin ~~ 14
cloth bou ffl 14
-~
cutlery chaan geuih 14
CD/ record shop CD p6u COM 7
coffee table choh gei ~fl 6
car/transport che m 5,10
Cantonese spring cheun gyun fit! 15
184
Appendix: Ill q fossary
captain gei jeung ~s 3

cooking oil choi youh M)fb 14
check in dang gei BM 10
check in dang gei s6u BM3=JI 10
procedure juhk
check-in counter dang gei t6i BM~ 11
central jOng woahn QJJI 11
-~
chemist yeuhkfohng 7
chinese-style dish jOng-gwok chah Q:lliiiM 14
chef chyuh si mrm 14
computer dihn 16uh 11111 8
Cathay Pacific Gwok taai hohng lill~liJil~ 10
hOng
cream of walnut haahptouh louh 81NUI 15
cream of almond hahng yohn choh ~CM 15
crab h6ai If 8
chicken feet fuhng j6au 111m 15
convenient fong bihn 7]1! 5
curtain cheung lim iarJI 6
coffee ga fe IWIIU~ 15
coffee shop ga fe sat IWIIU~~ 7
curry powder ga lei f6n IWIIIIIB 14
classifier for gihn f~ 10
luggage (piece)
curry chicken rice ga lei gai faahn IWIIIIJ!IM 15
Carlsberg Go sih book ll±fe 15
Chinese tea jung gwok choh Q:lliiiM 14,15
-~
corner jyun gok 7
cinema heiyun ltilfl 7
club sandwich gung si soam fl~= 15
mohn jih )t"A
>c
185
No Swe.:;t C.:;ntonese
cold dish Ioong pun ~Ill 14

cool leuhng )~ 13
curly lyOn
Chinese herbal leuhng chah
champagne heung ban
•mm
)~~
4
15
15
comb 1m
•••
so 6
carrot loh baahk 8
curly lyOn 4
chicken stock gai fan J!IIB 14
chicken bundle gai jaat J!l!l 15
chicken wings
chicken
gai yihk
gaiyuhk
calculate wrongly gai cho sou
••
-~
~~~-
15
7
10
can (classifier of gun
soft drinks)
carpet deih jin
•
mft
10
6
cheap pehng !¥ 8
custard tart daahn toot mM 15
clam
Coca-cola
candy shop
hin
h61ohk
tohng gw6 dim
•
ijJ~
iMmft5
8
15
7
cabbage yeh choi •m 8
cauliflower yeh choi fa •m~ 8
coriander
colleague
yuhk gwai
tuhng sih fc].
.3S:Jfi
1ft
14
3
degree douh 13
department store book fo gOng si si!iiflQI 7
D digital camera sou m6h seung Mlllm 8
gei Ill
door muhn ~ 6
downstairs hah mihn "Filii 11
186
Appendix Ill C.!ossary
dining room
dining table
dice
faahn teng
chah gei
chit lap
••
~n
tJUO
6
6
14
delicious h6u sihk ttffl 8
delayed chih ll 10
dry gon iZ 13
dry-fried rice gon ch6au ngauh fZ~~jijJ 14
noodles with beef h6
diving chihm seui 1R7.J< 12
dollar man ~ 11
deep fried ja wahn tan ~~~a 15
dumpling
dozen
doctor
dessert
da
yi sang
tihm ban
.g:
n
!tr§a
8
3
14
dress kwahn m 8
dress shop sihjong dim ~&liS 7
dull sky yam tin It!~ 13
eye ng6ahn OS 4
east dung m 7 E
entree tauh pun HRIB 14
engineer gungchihngs I~IW 3
-~-
electrical appli- dihnheip6u 7
ance store
expensive gwai
end of the street gaai h6u
eyeliner ng6ahn sin
•DSfl¥
tfJD
8
7
8
beat
egg and ham teui daan jih DI«<>B 15
Excuse me, please mh goi 118~ 11
economy class p6 tOng w6i simm 10
187
N o Swe4 t C<!ntonese
egg sandwich d6an jih If£.\

)c 15
fat feih He! 4
fork cha 5Z 14
F French style dish Faatgwok choi >n~M 14
flip-flops to hoai lffiti 8
fog
foam
friend
mouh
pou pou
pahng y6uh
•
rei rei
~~&
13
6
3
face wash s6i mihn gou )~ilii· 8
fresh fruit platter saang gw6 puhn ~mma 15
fish yu M 8
fire
flight
flight attendant
f6
boon gei
hungje
*
Jfilll
~tm
14
10
3
fried taro wuh g6k ¥fij 15
floor deih h6 mr:- 6
flood seui joi 7..1<~ 13
ferry syuhn M 5
French toast sci do si il§~± 15
fresh san sin iffll 8
fast faai *;4 10
fry ch6au ~ 14
go straight jihk heui m=a 5
goodbye joi gin fiH1! 3
G good morning j6u sahn !11!~ 3
good night j6u tau !11!!4 3
good sky h6u tin ttf~ 13
guava juice faan sehk lou Mo~>t 15
jap
ginger
good afternoon
geung
ngh on •
q:a
14
3
188
Appendix: Ill c=.tossary
garage che fohng m5§ 6

glasses ngaahn gimg OHM 8
grate moh R 14
girlfriend neuih pohng ttHH~ 3
yauh
go heui n 5,11
go travelling heui leuih
hohng
nmfi 12
garlic syun ~ 14
grapes taih ji til~ 8
good quality Ieng II 8
garden fa yun ?till 6
gate jaahp hau IJJD 10
good weather h6u tin tttn 13
green tea luhk choh ll~ 15
~" 5
how far geiyuhn
how long (how gei noih ~i!Ol 10
much time)
honeymelon maht gwa mm 8
hiking hoahng scan fjW 12 H
Hainan chicken hoi noahm ga >m~JIM 15
half bun $ 9
how dim IS 5,1 0,1
hotel j6u dim )i!jfE§ 11
here ni-douh ott fa 5,10
hair salon foot yihng uk ~m!~ 7
have a look tai tai liM OM 10
hair touh foot HI~ 4
hot yiht 1m 13
high-heels gou joang hoaih iili~ti 8
here ni douh ott fa 5,10
189
hi-fi system yam heung till 8

humidity sap douh ~fft 13
handkerchief sou gaan 3=rtJ 6
hot water yiht seui im7..K 15
half an hour bun go jung =Filii 5
hello neih h6u fffittf 3
how are you neih h6u ma fffittflll 3
honeydew melon mahtgwa mm 8
happy journey neui touh yuh 1itH~HI*;4 10
faai
intersection, the
end of the road
gaai hau mo 5,7
IDO cheuhng touh Bml 11

inside leuih mihn ~im 10
iron buddha tit gun yam 1111Hi 15
in front of chihnmihn fiDim 7
ingredients choih liu Jm~ 14
ice-skating lauh bing )i)h; 12
jogging paau bouh ifi!~ 12
Japanese tea Yaht bun chah BZli~ 15
Japanese style Yaht bun choi BZliM 14
dish
juicy dojap ~>t 8
jeans ngauh jai fu t+GM 8
juice gw6 jap m>t 15
jasmine tea heung pfn mf1 15
journalist gei je ~~ 3
K kids sfu pahng yauh IJ\~~~ 3
knife dou 7J 14
Kowloon Canton Gau Gong tit 1111111 5
key so sih Pfilt 6
190
Appendix Ill t:E,tossary
lawyer leuhtsi f!Bili 3 L

left side j6 bin liil 11
lemon tea ning chah liM 15
left j6 mihn liim 7
lottery station tauh jyu jaahm m>tno 7
Indian tea Yon douh chah EDiflM 15
Indian style dish Yon douh choi EDifllit 14
listening to pop temg lauh hahng li)liffi!HI 12
music kok
listening to the t€mg sou yam Ill& tiM 12
radio gei
lady's market neuih yon goai tlAtti 5
~·
living room hook teng 6
long hair cheuhng tauh sHftfi 4
look for wan m 10
laptop sau taih dihn ¥!111111 8
l6uh
-~
last night kahm maahn
ladle hok ~9 14
let's bat yuh ~no 12
leather shoes peih haaih ~ti 8
lychee laih ji ~~ 8
last night
lipstick syuhn gou
m• 8
lightning
lettuce
lamb
lemon
lotus seed paste
listening to rock
sim dihn
soang choi
yeuhng yuhk
lihng mung
lihn yuhng
teng yiuh gwun
,..
0011
~m
$~
11fili!
llilft)D~
13
8
8
8
15
12
lamp dang m 6
191
local bun deih znm 11

lobster luhng ha Iiiii 8
M mince chit seui tD~ 14
map deih touh m111 11
managing ging leih ~~~ 3
director
marketing sfhcheuhng- ilHJUI/11 3
teuigw6ng
midnight bun yeh =Fii 9
middle seat jung gaan wai lfllmtn 10,11
MTR deihtit mm 5
mirror
mobile phone
geng
sau toih dihn
wa
•
~m~~~
6
8
morning seuhng jau 1::1!1 9

Mr., husband sin saang ~~ 3
Mrs ., wife taai taai "Jf\"Jf\ 3
Miss, lady sfu je JJ\tm 3
minibus sfu ba /J\~ 5
move bun I!! 10
mixer gw6 jap gei m>tMl 14
mango pudding m6ng gw6 bou c:mffiiij] 15
din
mascara ngaahn jit 091J!~)Ji 8
melt yuhng Iii 14
-~
marinade yip lfu 14
moisturizer yeuhn mihn )fiHfiiill 8
seung
month yuht F.J 10
minutes fan jung flil 9
mushroom dung gu ~iii 8
192
Appendix Ill ~/ossary
milk n6aih 1113 15

middle jung goan tPfm 7
main dish jyu choi ±m 14
milk tea n6aih chah 1113~ 15
moustache
non-smoking
area
sou
fei kap yin
keui
•
~~~~ra
4
10 N
noon jOngngh q:tq: 9

now yfn go ifij~ 9
no problem m6uh mahn taih ftfm& 3
now out of 100 baakfahnji(no .) i3Bi2. 13
north bak jt 7
newsagent syo bou toan .fill 7
newspaper bo jf il~ 11
nose
number
night
beih
houh
m6ahn
•
~
~
4
10
10
nevermind rhh g6n yiu 118B~ 3
napkin choan gon llrt:J 14 0
o'clock dfm !ii 9
opposite/across deui mihn ~ilii 7
on time jun sih ~~ 10
octopus mahk yuh !Wit 8
onion yeuhng chOng )$il 8
on, upstairs seuhng mihn J::ilii 10,11
old (age) 16uh ~ 4
orange chaang m 8
orange juice 1 chaang jop MISt 15
aolong tea wO lung ~,. 15
overcast yam tin ~~ 13
onetime yet chi -m 11
193
p
one hour
on, upstairs
oven
overthere
pan
yet go jOng
seuhng mihn
guhklouh
chihn mihn
pihng dai wohk
-··
J::ilii
IIHI
i!rilii
!Flail
5,10
10,11
14
5
14
photographer sip ying sf -~Bili 3
police
purchasing
manager
ging chaat
ch6i kau ging
leih
••
tm•~JI
3
3
pilot gei si IIIBili 3

gw61euih liU~ 14
•
puree
put baai 10, 11
percent book fohn ji i3ffliZ 13
Pepsi book sih 811 15
pot/container bo ~ 14
pedestrian cross- boon mah sin !1!~- 5
pineapple boloh fill 8
~-
procedure sou juhk 10
pineapple juice bolohjap Sill5t 15
plastic wrap b6 sin ji fJilDJH 14
pound bohng fJl 8
pharmacist yeuhkfohng liB§ 7
post office yauh guk 181m
.fti;i 7, 11
passport wuh jiu 10
pepper wuh jiu fan i!inliiB 14
PDA go yahn dihn jf 11AII~ 8
sou jeung ~M
powder gon fan ~IS 8
piece (classifier gihn f~ 10
playing squash do bik kauh nmli 12
playing table do bing bam fl~qij( 12
194
Appendi>< Ill C::,tossary
tennis kauh
playing ball do bo r.Jjgi 12
games
playing golf do go yi fu kauh r.JIJII~ 12
Ji
peel mok peih IJJg( 14
playing tennis do m6hng kauh r.JI!Ji 12
probably h61ahng QJ~ 13
pretty lady/ leng (neui)(joi) IJI(tt/ 4
handsome guy g) 4
Peak tram
pork chop rice
laahm che
jyu po faahn
•m
RJ.l~fti
5
15
pork jyu yuhk ~~~ 8
piano shop kahm h6ng JJfi 7
pub jou ba jft~ 5
plane fei gei HIM 5
plate dip ~ 14
panties noih fu 1'9. 8
plane ticket gei piu Mit 10
piano shop kahm hong JJfi 7
playing the piano taohn kahm !DJJ 12
playing football tek juk kauh lml:EJi 12
papaya
quite1
muhk gwa
gei
mta
g
8
13 Q
quarter-hour
reading books
regent hotel
gwat
toi syu
laih jing
•11.
IIIII
9
12
11
R
reconfirm kok yihng film 10

red teo huhng chah n~ 15
railway louh ~
rubbish bog laohp soap d6i ill1i~ 6
195
restaurant
rain
roost
chaon teng
yuh
haou
••
iffij
m
7
13
14
right side youh bin Ell 11
right youh mihn Eiiii 7
report bo gou fiH3 13
rubbish bog loohp soap d6i i!Iii~ 6
~-
refrigerator syut gwoih 10,14
room f6ng &§ 10
rice wine maih jau mii§ 14
rice roll cheung fan ftlifB 15
rainstorm bouh yuh .iffij 13
s slip-ens/summer leuhng haoih );?. ft 8
shoes
stationery shop mahn geuih )(ftlfi 7
p6u
simmer
sun
steam
moohn f6 jyu
yeuhng gw6ng
jing
•*•
8171[
1A
14
13
14
sponge hoi mihn )§f!J 6
soles haohng gaai fifij 3
sauce tiuh meih liu fi!Dmit4 14
seat wei m 10
sofa ~it 13
•
sofa
sell mooih 11
sorry rhh h6u yi si I!Bttf@~ 3
so so mah ma dei MiMiU~ 13
singing/karaoke cheung g6/K IIBim/K 12
spring onion chung il 8
smoking area kap yin keui oat~~ 10
speakers kwong yam hei lift§ 8
196
Appendix Ill C:,to ssary
seasonings tiuh meih liu flomfJ 14

sugar tohng M 14
sorry deui rhh jyuh f:t~fl 3
sweet red bean huhng dauh sa flH)!Jl 15
paste soup
shrimp ha fi 8
shrimp rice roll ha cheung fiiJI 15
-~
shrimp dumpling ha g6au 15
steamed fried rice hoh yihp foehn fctiMtl 15
sea cucumber hoi sam naa 8
salt
shark's fin
seems like
yihm
yuh chi
h6u chi
•
~~
ttff~
14
8
10
soy sauce jeung yauh II )Ill 14
swimming yauh seui >l§7.k 12
spoon
study
shorts
gang
syu f6ng
dyun fu
•.8§
~i:HI
14
6
8
short hair dyun tauh foot ~fHJifi 4
squid yauh yu ill~ 8
sunshine yeuhng gw6ng 81~ 13
skirt bun jiht kwahn =t=am 8
steamed BBQ cha siu beau 5Z*I!il 15
station che jaahm mno 10
scallop daai ji m::1 8
saucepan cheuhng beng li!P.ill 14
showers jaauh yuh l!iffii 13
shampoo sai tauh seui WtHfi7.k 6
small figure sai lap MUll 4
steamed sponge malaai g6u ~m~ 15
cake
197
sandwich scam mahn jih -){•A

=. )c 15
strolling soan bouh u~ 12
sift sci iii 14
SOGO depart- suhng gwong iHit 11
snow syut ~ 13
Sprite syut bik ~~ 15
San Miguel sang lihk ~1J 15
shirt seut scam rn~~ 8
strawberry sih do be lei ±~Ill~ 8
steam pork ball siu m6ai rill 15
snack siu sihk JJ\11 15
stop after gwo j6 ifltt 5
short ng6i ~ 4
south naahm ~ 7
sweet tihm m 8
stop tihng fiJ 5
straight jihk m 4
T transportation che m 10
-~
tomorrow night ting maahn 9
tailor shop choihfung dim iHI/iS 7
teacher 16uh si ~IW 3
temperature hei wan lUll 13
the most jeui fi 10
turn right jyun j6 .E 5
typhoon toih fung lf!lml 13
ticket gei piu IIIII 10
to ji ~ 13
tokyo dung ging mm 10
TV
thanks (for gift,
dihn sih
dojeh
•m
~~~
6
3
payment)
198
Appendix Ill C:.!ossary
-~
telephone dihn sih 6,11
taxi dik sf ~± 5, 10,
taxi stand dik sf jaahm ~±no 10
toothbrush ngah ch6at ~lffiiJ 6
~·
toothpaste ngah gou 6
to ride a bike ch6ai dean che i111Mii 5
toilet chi s6 IRiJfjfj 6
traffic light dang w6i mm 5
tofu sweet dessert dauh fuh fa ~~~:rt 15
towel mouh goon =Ert:J 6,14
~-
this way ni bin 11
thanks (help, mhgoi 118~ 3
service)
thunderstorm
toy shop
together
neuih bouh
wuhn geuih p6u
yat chaih
••
!j[~lfi
-til
13
7
12
tuna sandwich tan nah yu jih aeflt>B 15
thin sou fl 4
thanks very much mh goi saai 118~11§ 10
Temple Street miuh gaai llii 5
toy shop wuhn geuih p6u !j[~lfi 7
together yat chaih -til 12
tomorrow morn- ting jiu
tuna sandwich tan nah yu jih
•m
aeflt>B
10
15
these nidi ~11'19 8
~-
this kind ni jek 8
typhoon toih fung I«! lim 13
turn left jyun j6 llle 5
tummy t6uh n6ahm ftl:Di 4
T-shirt T-Seut rrn 8
trousers fu
• 6,8
199
No Swe<!f C<!nfonese
to steam jlng 1i 14
~-
toothpicks ah chim 14
that way g6 bin Dill 11
those g6 dl 1111119 8
there g6 douh DIIJt 5,10
that kind g6jek IIIII 8
to walk haahng louh fj~ 5
tie lehng taai ~~!A 8

to drive ja che mm 5
tomato faan ke ilffi 8
tomato juice faan ke jap lloo>t 15
tailor choih fung dim
~-h§ 7
tall gou ~ 4
tap seui luhng tauh 7.K~fin 6
thanks (for gift, dojeh ~It 3
payment)
tailor choih fung dim
~-h§ 7
tram dihn che ~mm 5
tray pun Ill 4
v toner song fo seui J(fi7.K 8
vegetarian rice roll jaai cheung ilnl 15
vice president fu jung choih iUffl~ 3
vacuum cleaner kap chahn gei ll}lgl!l 6
vomit ng6u 18 11
very good h6u h6u ttfttf 13
very much saai II§ 10
vegetable dumpling choi go au m~ 15
vinegar chou M 14
w vegetable yauh choi >HIM 15
watching TV t6i dihn sih 11111m 12
200
Appendix Ill C::,tossary
watching movies tai hei llilfi 12

weather tin hei
~= 13
warm nyuhn II 13
west sai im 14
want to have seung yiu Jm~ 11
what time geidfm ~Iii 10
watermelon sa i gwa imffi\ 8
washbasin sci sou puhn m:3=1B 6
washing machine sci yi gei m:n111 6
wet sap )I 13
water-skiing waaht seui ii7.J< 12
water seui 7.J< 15
would like to have seung yiu Jm~ 10,11
warning gfng gou .iS 13
wish jok ~ 10
window-shoppinghaahng gaai fiffj 12
~~
.II!
when gei sih 10
for luggage)
welcome fun yihng 3
wind fung II 13
well gam oa 10
white wine baahkjau ~)I 15
where bin douh llftl 11
window seat cheung h6u we i iiBDm 10
wear daoi m 4
young houh saong ~g: 4 y
yesterday kahmyoht Jj8 9
201
No Swe;Jt C4ntonese
202
Appendix IV: A Chinese Recipe
This is the English translation of the recipe featured at the end
of Chapter 14 {pg. 147).
Drunken Chicken
Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs fresh chicken
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 tablespoon chicken stock
1 1/3 cups rice wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
a few slices of ginger
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 clove minced garlic
a bit of coriander
1I 4 teaspoons pepper
Steps:
1. Wash the chicken and place it in a deep container (e.g. a
pot) .
2. Cover the chicken with 2/3 tablepoon chicken stock, 1/3
cup of rice wine and water to bring out the taste . Use
enough water to ensure that the liquid covers the chicken .
Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat and tightly cover and simmer for 20
minutes.
4. Drain the chicken and place on a plate.
5. Pour the marinating ingredients -sugar, 1 cup wine, salt,
pepper and olive oil - over the chicken .
6. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and marinate in the
fridge overnight.
7. Next day, slice the chicken and serve cold .
203
Acknowledgements
This book could not have been written without the support of my
past and present students, including those who work for Pepsi
Co, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, Santa Fe, The MIGroup,
Bank of America, Fuji Xerox Jardine Schindler, South China Morn-
ing Post, 97Group, Reuters, Watson Wayatt, Pricewaterhouse
Coopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Trowbridge Consulting),
Sumitomo Bank, New World First Bus, China Star Entertainment
and many others. My heartfelt thanks for their enthusiasm and
eagerness to learn my language.
Special thanks to Peter Boczar for coming up with the title
of my first book "No Sweat Cantonese" which is not just a terrific
name, but also a great platform for launching a whole series of
books .
I wish to express my deep appreciation to my beloved and
supportive friends (Graham & Pat Baragwanath, Julian Russell,
Mark Weir, David Hendry, Piers Alexander, Brian Smith, Bettina
Dumler, Lisa Chu, Renate Beil, Peter Siddall, Karen Chan, Karen
Cheung, Irene Chiu, Ada Kwan and many others) for their friend-
ship and support.
Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Mike Morrow, Managing
Director of Asia 2000 Ltd . for his initial suggestion to me to pub-
lish this book, my editor, Julia Ng for her efforts, Sunshine for art
work, Metternich Wong Studio and Nik Fung for voice over.
Amy Leung Man Wai

Hong Kong 2007
About the Author
Amy Leung has on extensive background in teaching groups of

people from many different countries. She was brought up in
Hong Kong and completed her education in Australasia before
graduating from the University of Auckland, New Zealand in 1994.
She mode her first foray into the world of education when she
started teaching Mandarin to local children (in Woiheke Island)
in Auckland in 1993. In the years since her return to Hong Kong,
she has been teaching Cantonese to a brood range of students,
from senior personnel of multinational organizations to individu-
als wonting to gain on insight, into the local culture. Amy is the
author of No Sweat Canto-Love. Amy also writes for
IMPRINT2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, Rugby Sevens World Cup pro-
gram 2005, does voice-overs and modeling on a port-time basis.
Amy is a member of the Women in publishing in Hong Kong and
gave lectures to expatriate groups on areas of Chinese culture.
Her enthusiasm for her subject has been reflected in recent ar-
ticles in the English-language newspapers in Hong Kong & TVB
Pearl Report.
Cantonese is the first language of the vast majority of the
people of Hong Kong, Iorge ports of southern Chino and is used
in many Chinese communities worldwide, Amy believes that it is
still a valuable tool even after the Hondover of Hong Kong bock
to Chino in 1997. Her mission is to help people to learn
Cantonese in on effective and enjoyable way.
Amy con be contacted via :
Website www.omyleunglonguoge.com
Email omy@omyleunglanguoge com

Commentary
No Sweat Cantonese is a fun and easy way to learning how to

speak what is truly a diffcult langiage to learn. However, it is not
just a book for learning the Cantonese language but also a way
to learning the Hong Kong Cantonese culture. For instance, the
book provides the reader with useful places to go for shopping,
sightseeing, the beaches etc ... This book provides learning the
language, culture, idiomatic and slang expressions. And there-
fore a comprehensive book. It is unique in the sense that it is
very entertaining with cartoon drawing and pop-up culture boxes
with information about Hong Kong .
I found it very amusing that Amy has incorporated some very
useful yet humorous and practical slang expressions. Which not
only bring smile to your lips, but also; ensure that you can "get
about" easily in Hong Kong and get your job done! It will work
for you whether you need to use it in the office or with business
colleagues . Or whether you just intend to roam the markets,
streets, villages and shopping malls in Hong Kong or for that
matter any place, where people speak the language.
So stay motivated and don't give up to the challenge. Your
attempt are sure to cause you laughter and fun filled education .
You will get it right- No Sweat At All!
Ramagopal Roo
Managing Director
Fuji Xerox, Hong Kong Office
"If you want to learn to speak Cantonese like a native, this is the book for you ."
-ROB AGNEW, Finance and Administration Manager, Greater Chino , Reuters
No Swea-t Caf'\i:Of'\ese
A FUN GUIDE TO SPEAKING CORRECTLY
The long-awaited textbook from one

What her students say:
of the most popular and successful
• ... a no nonsense system for putting teachers of Cantonese! Amy Leung
practical , useful stuff within your teaches Cantonese to managers of
grasp quickly .. . It gives you the multinational corporations in Hong
need-to-know bits and pieces
Kong in a fun new way. Na Sweat
essential to understanding and
being understood .• Cantonese distils her approach ,
- Peter Boczor, Advertisting fu l fill i ng the demand for an
Director, leo Burnett ltd . up -to - date textbook focusing on the
pract ica l needs of expatriates in ..
•Hong Kong Cantonese is a lively
spoken language , and this book Hong Kong and elsewhere i n the
gives the beginner a sense of this Cantonese - speaking world . Like
while also addressing the never before , Cantonese - "that
fundamentals of tone and impossible language! " - is now easy
grammar.•
- John R. Fadely, American &
and enjoyable to le<;~rn .
International lawyer, Debevoise &
Plimpton Each chapter provides:
*Lingo and One-Liners: a list of
an invaluable and practical
useful words and phrases that
guide . It includes many of the
idioms and expressions that Hong center on a topic or si tuation
Kongers use everyday. They will be frequently arising in everyday life
amazed and amused when you use *Chit Chat: guided conversations
them , too! • that help place what you have
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learned into a living context
*Grammatical notes: succ i nct
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about easily in Hong Kong and get •Pop-up boxes: fun and useful
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''Easier than using chopsticks!" - PETER BOCZAR, leo Burnett ltd.

Asia 2000 Limited

Published by Asia 2000 Ltd

http:/ /www. asia2000.com .hk

Typeset in Futuro by Julia Ng

First Printing 2003

1 .1 What are Tones?

Tone How the Cantonese Meaning

High Falling Si or Si Poem

High Rising Si Feces

Low Falling Slh Time

Low Rising Sih City

Low Sih Matter

To help you pronounce as you read we will use the following

The following graphic illustrates the range of tones in

One simplification for the purposes of this book is that we will

The Canadian and The Armpit- Another of my students

Now try the following Pronunciation Drill (I promise not to hove

Do do do doh doh doh

Si si si sih sih sih

Po pa pa pah pah pah

Gwa gwa gwa gwah gwah gwah

Syu syu syu syuh syuh syuh

Fan fan fan fohn fohn fohn

Congratulations! You've now correctly pronounced all six tones

1.3 Initials and Finals

In addition to tones , we have 19 Initials and 51 Finals in

1. Initial = the beginning sound of the syllable.

Here are three examples of syllables :

Good looking Middle tone

Here is a list of all the Initials you will find in Cantonese.

Here is a list of all the Finals you will find in Cantonese.

eu heu boot II:

The Finals p, t, and k are "unreleased ." These sounds are

fa an (go) ~ fan (to divide) fl

",. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .F~'~~~.._~ , .... _

Go to the next chapter and speak loudly and clearly!!!

Here is a list of cardinal numbers (numbers we usually use for

1, 2, 3 yot yih scam

Counting system comparison :

Build ing numbers :

Yet back chat sahp 1 X 100 + 70 -st::+

"Yih " and " Leuhng " compared :

In Cantonese, we have 2 words for the number "2 :"

"Yih" (=) is used for numbers such as 2 .

e .g My telephone number is 2345-6677 (yih scam sei ngh luhk

e.g Leuhng gihn Sci do si.

Remember: "leuhng " is not used for specifying pairs of things

-·~~~~~:~=====~-----~-------­ LUCKY NUMBERS

Despite their worldliness, Hong Kong people con be qu ite

Number Implied meaning Synonym

8 boot prosperous g) foot

It is used in the following way:

cardinal number + classifier + noun

The word "gihn" is the classifier of toast (do sf) .

one/a bowl of rice

The word "wun" is the classifier of rice (foehn).

Classifiers usually describe the shape, size or function of the

Here are a few more classifiers :

Bun for books (syu), magazines (jaahp ji)

Go for persons, roundish objects, such as

Ji literally a "bottle", e.g. "Yet ji j<iu" means

nuh for objects that are long and slender but

Goon 1m for buildings and contructians such as a

-·~~~~~:~=====~-----~------- LUCKY NUMBERS