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Cantonese Skills Lesson 6
Common Phrases

The art of conversation creates the need for making frequently expressed sayings simple and direct. This lesson focuses on a number of Cantonese phrases that are used virtually every day and in many different contexts. It's important to not only learn the phrase and its meaning, but also in what contexts they are commonly used.

Have you eaten || Greetings || Thanks || Farewell ||
Apology/Excuse || Congratulations || Interjections

Have you eaten?

One of the most common phrases in polite conversation in Chinese is to ask if the person you are speaking to has eaten or not. This does not imply that you have any intention of dining with them, it is the concept of "how are you doing" applied to food.

Question	/neih/ sihk /jo/ faahn meih a?	Have you eaten (rice) yet?
Affirmative	sihk /jo/ la	(I) have eaten.
Negative	meih a	Not yet.

This pleasantry shows off the Cantonese grammar principle of choice-type questions. The question includes the expected answers: "I have" (yes) and "Not yet" (no). Occasionally a person replies with more information, such as that they have eaten an earlier meal but not the upcoming meal.

Note that here the term faahn "rice" 飯 is used to mean any meal, not just rice. On rare occasions a person may respond that they have not eaten rice, but something else (normally mihn "noodles" 麵).

Have you eaten || Greetings || Thanks || Farewell ||
Apology/Excuse || Congratulations || Interjections

Greetings

/jou/ \sahn\	good morning	早晨	This greeting is used anytime before noon. It is customary to reply with the same phrase in turn. Of all greetings in Cantonese, a stranger is most likely to respond positively to this.
/ngh/ \on\	good afternoon	午安	This greeting is typically used with groups of people in a meeting rather than in interpersonal communication.
/maahn/ \on\	good evening	晚安	This greeting is typically used with groups of people in a meeting rather than in interpersonal communication.
\fun\ \yihng\	welcome	歡迎	This greeting is reserved for use by someone acting as a host. You may frequently hear it used by people you meet welcoming you to their country/city or inviting you to visit.

Have you eaten || Greetings || Thanks || Farewell ||
Apology/Excuse || Congratulations || Interjections

Thanks

\do\ jeh	thank-you	多謝	\do\ jeh is used to thank someone for gifts, \mh\ \goi\ is used to thank someone for services. Mixing the two up can in some cases lead to misunderstanding, but generally is not critical. \do\ jeh saai and \mh\ \goi\ saai are intensified versions of the expression.
\mh\ \goi\	thank-you	唔該
\do\ jeh saai	thank-you so much	多謝晒
\mh\ \goi\ saai	thank-you so much	唔該晒
\mh\ /saai/	no need	唔駛	Instead of saying "you're welcome" you would say "no need", as in "no need to thank me". \mh\ saai \do\ jeh would be used in response to \do\ jeh or \do\ jeh saai and \mh\ saai \mh\ \goi\ would be used in response to \mh\ \goi\ or \mh\ \goi\ saai. \mh\ saai haak hei can be used in response to any
\mh\ saai \do\ jeh	no need (for thanks)	唔駛多謝
\mh\ saai \mh\ \goi\	no need (for thanks)	唔駛唔該
\mh\ saai haak hei	no need (to be polite)	唔駛客氣

Have you eaten || Greetings || Thanks || Farewell ||
Apology/Excuse || Congratulations || Interjections

Farewell

joi gin	see you	再見	This is the most common way of saying good-bye. The time of the next meeting can be added in front of the phrase.
baai baai	bye	拜拜	This is a borrowing from English, but is generally understood even by those who do not know any English at all.
/jou/ /tau/	good night	早抖	Literally "early rest". This should only be used in the evening when you are last going to see a person and expect they are going home or going to bed. Not often used with people with whom you are unfamiliar. Used in the wrong setting and with the wrong sound emphasis this can mean "die".

Have you eaten || Greetings || Thanks || Farewell ||
Apology/Excuse || Congratulations || Interjections

Apology/Excuse

\mh\ \goi\ je je	excuse me (get out of my way)	唔該借借	This is used to ask someone to get out of your way. Another way of doing this is to just say \mh\ \goi\ \mh\ \goi\!
\mh\ /hou/ yi \si\ (m'ouh yi \si\)	sorry	不好意思	This tends to be used for small infractions and deals with embarrassment. It is also used when about to ask a favor and asking for forgiveness for the imposition.
deui \mh\ jyuh	sorry	對唔住	This tends to be used when someone is admitting fault. It is also used when someone is incapable of fulfilling a request or obligation. Literally "unable to face".

Have you eaten || Greetings || Thanks || Farewell ||
Apology/Excuse || Congratulations || Interjections

Congratulations

\gung\ /hei/ \gung\ /hei/	congratulations	恭喜恭喜	Reduplication lends power to the phrase. Used pretty much the same as the English word.
\gung\ /hei/ /neih/	congratulations (to you)	恭喜你	Used pretty much the same as the English word. The appropriate response is normally \mh\ \goi\ (thank you).
\mh\ /gam/ \dong\	I dare not accept the praise	唔敢當	Used to deflect praise. Chinese etiquette dictates that compliments and praise be deflected and individual contribution downplayed. (This is not a reply to \gung\ /hei/ \gung\ /hei/ unless the congratulatory remark following gives you individual credit.)

Have you eaten || Greetings || Thanks || Farewell ||
Apology/Excuse || Congratulations || Interjections

Frequent Interjections

/yauh/ /mouh/ /gaau/ cho a	[exasperation]/ [indignation]	有冇搞錯呀	This phrase is used to express outrage or mock-disbelief at circumstances. It is most often directed at the universe or fate, but can be directed to a specific person.
/cheng/ mahn	"may I ask"	請問	Not so much an interjection as a prefix to a question. It can be used to grab the attention of the person you want to ask (which is why it is listed here) or to preamble a personal question.
/chaam/	"drats", "darn", "pity", etc.	慘	Used as a comment when something undesirable is recognized. It can also be used as an adjective describing a pitiable creature or object.
\ai\ /ya/	"oh my", "oh no", "eek!"	唉呀!	This is perhaps the most common interjection in Chinese. It's precise meaning varies depending on the pitch, length of the sounds and the context it is used in. It is used in response to a newly discovered or realized problem or conflict.

Have you eaten || Greetings || Thanks || Farewell ||
Apology/Excuse || Congratulations || Interjections

Cantonese Skills Lesson 6 Common Phrases

Have you eaten?

Greetings

Thanks

Farewell

Apology/Excuse

Congratulations

Frequent Interjections

Cantonese Skills Lesson 6
Common Phrases