簡單廣州話 gáandāan gwóngjāuwah (basic Cantonese)
First Verbs
1. be - 係 haih, 喺 hái (to be in/at/on)
2. there is - 有 yóuh (neg.=冇 móuh)
3. have - 有 yóuh (neg.=冇 móuh)
4. do - 做 jouh
5. go - 去 heui
6. want - 要 yiu, 想 séung (with a verb)
7. can - 可以 hó yíh (allowed to), 識 sīk (literally means “know how to,” but can be used to mean “can”), 會 wúih (have the ability to, know how to), -得 dāk (can mean either), -得倒 dākdóu (same as -得 dāk, neg.=-唔倒 m̀hdóu)
8. need - 需要 sēui yiu, 要 yiu (neg.=唔駛 m̀hsái)
9. think - 諗 nám
10. know - 知(道) jī (dou), 識 sīk (“know how to”)
11. say - 講 góng, 話 wah
12. like - 鍾意 jūng yi, 中意 jūng yi
13. speak - 講 góng, 識講 sīk góng (a language)
14. learn - 學 hohk
15. understand - 明白 mìhng baahk
Conjunctions
1. that (as in “I think that…” or “the woman that…”) - not a thing
2. and - 同 tùhng
3. or - 定係 dihng haih
4. but - 但係 daahn haih
5. because - 因為 yān waih
6. though - 雖說 sēui syut
7. so (meaning “therefore”; e.g. “I wanted it, so I bought it”) - 噉 gám
8. if - 如果 yùh gwó
Prepositions
1. of - 嘅 ge
2. to - 去 héui
3. from - 由 yàuh
4. in - 在 joih, 喺 hái
5. at (a place) - 喺 hái
6. at (a time) - 喺 hái
7. with - 同 tùhng
8. about - 關於 gwāan yū
9. like (meaning “similar to”) - 噉 gám
10. for - 為 wàih
11. before (also as a conjunction) - 之前 jī chìh
12. after (also as a conjunction) - 之後 jī hauh
13. during - 之際 jī jai
Question Words
1. who - 邊個 bīn go
2. what - 乜野 māt yéh
3. where - 邊度 bīn douh
4. when - 幾時 géi sìh
5. why - 點解 dím gáai
6. how - 點樣 dím yéung
7. how much - 幾多 géi dō
8. which - 邊 bīn
Adverbs
1. a lot - 好多 hóu dō
2. a little - 少少 síu síu
3. well - 好 hóu
4. badly - 壞 waaih
5. only - 只係 jí haih
6. also - 都 dōu, 又 yauh
7. very - 好 hóu
8. too (as in “too tall”) - 太 taai
9. too much - 太多 taai dō
10. so (as in “so tall”) - 咁 gam
11. so much - 咁多 gam dō
12. more - 過 gwo (put after the adjective: 我高過你 ngóh gōu gwo néih=I am taller than you)
13. less - not really a thing, negative version of the 過 gwo construction
14. as … as … (e.g. “as tall as”) - Positive: 同...一樣咁 tùhng...yāt yeuhng gam (e.g. 我同你一樣咁高 ngóh tùhng néih yāt yeuhng gam gōu=I am as tall as you), Negative: 冇...一樣咁 móuh...yāt yeuhng gam (e.g. 我冇你一樣咁高 ngóh móuh néih yāt yeuhng gam gōu=I am not as tall as you)
15. most - 最...嘞 jeui...lak (e.g. 最高嘞 jeui gōu lak=tallest, the 嘞 lak goes at the end of the sentence)
16. least - not really a thing, negative version of the 最...嘞 jeui...lak construction
17. better - 好過 hóu gwo
18. best - 最好嘞 jeui hóu lak
19. worse - 壞過 waaih gwo
20. worst - 最壞嘞 jeui waaih lak
21. now - 而家 yìh gā
22. then - 當時 dōng sìh, 就 jauh (when in the construction “if..., then...”)
23. here - 呢度 nī douh
24. there - 嗰度 gó douh
25. maybe - 話唔定 wah m̀h dihng
26. always - 成日 sèhng yaht
27. usually - 通常 tūng sèuhng
28. often - 周不時 jāu bāt sìh
29. sometimes - 有時 yáuh sìh
30. never - 從未 chùhng meih
31. today - 今日 gām yaht
32. yesterday - 琴日 kàhm yaht
33. tomorrow - 聽日 tīng yaht
34. soon - 就快 jauh faai
35. almost - 差唔多 chā m̀h dō (similar), 就嚟 jauh lèih (soon)
36. already - 已經 yíh gīng
37. still - 重係 juhng haih
38. even - 連...都 lìhn...dōu, 甚至 sahm ji
39. enough - 夠 gau
Adjectives
1. the, a (technically articles) - not a thing, but using just a classifier could make it definite in a way
2. this - 呢 nī
3. that - 嗰 gó
4. good - 好 hóu
5. bad - 壞 waaih
6. all - 都 dōu
7. some - 啲 dī
8. no - 唔喺 m̀h hái
9. any - 任何 yahm hòh
10. many - 多 dō
11. few - 少 síu
12. most - 最 jeui
13. other - 其他 kèih tā
14. same - 一樣 yāt yeuhng
15. different - 唔同 m̀h tùhng
16. enough - 夠 gau
17. one - 一 yāt
18. two - 兩 léuhng (with a noun, “a pair of”), 二 yih (the number two)
19. a few - 幾 géi
20. first - 第一 daih yāt (with a noun), 先 sīn (first this, then that)
21. next - 下一個 hah yāt go
22. last (meaning “past”, e.g. “last Friday”) - 舊年 gauh nín, 上個月 seuhng go yuht (last month), 噙晚 kàhm máahn (last night)
23. last (meaning “final”) - 最後 jeui hauh
24. easy - 容易 yùhng yih
25. hard - 辛苦 sān fú (not easy), 硬 ngaahng (not soft)
26. early - 早 jóu
27. late - 遲 chìh
28. important - 緊要 gán yiu
29. interesting - 有趣 yáuh cheui
30. fun - 好玩 hóu wàahn
31. boring - 腌悶 yīm muhn
32. beautiful - 靚 leng
33. big - 大 daaih
34. small - 細 sai
35. happy - 開心 hōi sām
36. sad - 難過 nàahn gwo
37. busy - 忙 mòhng
38. excited - 興奮 hīng fáhn
39. tired - 癐 guih
40. ready - 準備 jéun beih
41. favorite - 最愛 jeui oi
42. new - 新 sān
43. right (meaning “correct”) - 啱 ngāam
44. wrong - 錯 cho
45. true - 真 jān
Pronouns
1. I - 我 ngóh
2. you 你 néih
3. she - 佢 kéuih
4. he - 佢 kéuih
5. it - 佢 kéuih
6. we - 我哋 ngóh deih
7. you (plural) - 你哋 néih deih
8. they - 佢哋 kéuih deih
Nouns
1. everything - 乜都 māt dōu
2. something - 嘢 yéh
3. nothing - 冇嘢 móuh yéh
4. everyone - 大家 daaih gā
5. someone - 有人 yáuh yàhn
6. no one - 冇人 móuh yàhn
7. Cantonese - 廣州話 gwóng jāu wah, 廣東話 gwóng dūng wah, 粵語 yuht yúh (Yue Chinese, which Cantonese is technically a dialect of)
8. English - 英文 yīng màhn
9. thing - 嘢 yéh
10. person - 人 yàhn
11. place - 地方 deih fōng
12. time (as in “a long time”) - 時間 sìh gaan
13. time (as in “I did it 3 times”) - 次 chi
14. friend - 朋友 pàhng yáuh
15. woman - 女人 néuih yàhn
16. man - 男人 nàahm yàhn
17. money - 錢 chìhn
18. country - 國家 gwok gā
19. China - 中國 jūng gwok, 中華人民共和國 jūng wàh yàhn màhn guhng wòh gwok (PRC)
20. U.S.A. - 美國 méih gwok
21. city - 城市 sìhng síh
22. language - 語言 yúh yìhn
23. word - 字 jih
24. food - 食物 sihk maht
25. house - 屋 ūk
26. store - 舖頭 pou tàuh
27. office - 寫字樓 sé jih làuh
28. company - 公司 gūng sī
29. manager - 經理 gīng léih
30. coworker - 同事 tùhng sih
31. job - 工 gūng
32. work (as in “I have a lot of work to do”) - 工作 gūng jok
33. problem - 問題 mahn tàih
34. question - 問題 mahn tàih
35. idea - 主意 jyú yi
36. life - 生命 sāng mihng
37. world - 世界 sai gaai
38. day - 日 yaht
39. year - 年 nìhn
40. week - 禮拜 láih baai
41. month - 月 yuht
42. hour - 小時 síu sìh
43. mother - 媽媽 màh mā, 老母 lóuh móuh
44. father - 爸爸 bàh bā, 老豆 lóuh dauh
45. parent - 親 chān, 父母 fuh móuh (more in the sense of “parents”)
46. daughter - 女 néuih
47. son - 仔 jái
48. child - 細路 sai louh, 仔女 jái néuih (“sons and daughter, children”)
49. wife - 老婆 lóuh pòh
50. husband - 老公 lóuh gūng
51. girlfriend - 女朋友 néuih pàhng yáuh
52. boyfriend - 男朋友 nàahm pàhng yáuh
More Verbs
1. work (as in a person working) - 工作 gūng jok
2. work (meaning “to function”, e.g. “the TV works”) - 功能 gūng nàhng
3. see - 見 gin
4. use - 用 yuhng
5. should - 應份 yīng fahn
6. believe - 信 seun
7. practice - 練習 lihn jaahp
8. seem - 睇嚟 tái lèih
9. come - 嚟 lèih
10. leave - 離開 lèih hōi
11. return - 返 fāan
12. give - 畀 béi
13. take - 攞 ló
14. bring - 拎 nīng, 帶 daai
15. look for - 搜 sáu, 搵 wán
16. find - 探 taam, 搵 wán
17. get (meaning “obtain”) - 得到 dāk dou
18. receive - 收倒 sāu dóu, 收到 sāu dóu
19. buy - 買 máaih
20. try - 試 si
21. start - 開始 hōi chí
22. stop (doing something) - 停(止) tìhng (jí)
23. finish - 殺攤 saat tāan
24. continue - 繼續 gai juhk
25. wake up - 醒 séng
26. get up - 起身 héi sān
27. eat - 食 sihk
28. eat breakfast - 食早餐 sihk jóu chāan
29. eat lunch - 食午餐 sihk ńgh chāan, 食晏 sihk aan
30. eat dinner - 食晚餐 sihk máahn chāan
31. happen - 發生 faat sāng
32. feel - 覺得 gok dāk (also means “to think”)
33. create (aka “make”) - 做 jouh, 造 jouh
34. cause (aka “make”) - 令 lihng
35. meet (meeting someone for the first time) - 相見 sēung gin
36. meet (meaning “to bump into”) - 見 gin, 會 wuíh
37. meet (an arranged meeting) - 見 gin, 會 wuíh
38. ask (a question) - 問 mahn
39. ask for (aka “request”) - 請求 chíng kàuh
40. wonder - 懷疑 wàaih yìh
41. reply - 回覆 wuìh fūk
42. mean - 意味着 yi meih jeuhk (signify), 係意思 haih yi sī
43. read - 睇(書) tái (syū)
44. write - 寫 sé
45. listen - 聽 tēng, 留心聽 làuh sām tēng
46. hear - 聽 tēng
47. remember - 記得 gei dāk
48. forget - 忘記 mòhng gei
49. choose - 選擇 syún jaahk
50. decide - 決定 kyut dihng
51. be born - 誕生 daan sāang, 出世 chēut sai
52. die - 死 séi
53. kill - 殺 saat
54. live - 住 jyuh (reside in a place), 生存 sāang chyùhn
55. stay - 留低 làuh dāi (remain behind)
56. change - 改(變) gói (bin)
57. help - 幫...手 bōng...sáu (lend a hand), 幫助 bōng joh
58. send - 發 faat
59. study - 讀書 duhk syū, 學習 hohk jaahp
60. improve - 改進 gói jeun
61. hope - 希望 hēi mohng
62. care - 着緊 jeuhk gán
Phrases
1. hello - 你好 néih hóu
2. goodbye - 再見 joi gin
3. thank you - 唔該 m̀h gōi
4. you’re welcome - 唔使 m̀h sái
5. excuse me (to get someone’s attention) - 請問 chéng mahn, 唔該 m̀h gōi
6. sorry - 對唔住 deui m̀h jyuh
7. it’s fine (response to an apology) - 唔緊要 m̀h gán yiu
8. please - 唔該 m̀h gōi
9. yes - 係 haih
10. no - 唔係 m̀h haih
11. okay - 得 dāk
12. My name is - 我個名係 ngóh go mìhng haih
13. What’s your name? - 你叫咩名? néih giu mē mìhng
14. Nice to meet you. - 好高興見到你 hóu gōu hing gin dou néih
15. How are you? - 你最近點? néih jeui gahn dím
16. I’m doing well, how about you? - 好好,有心。你呢? hóu hóu, yáuh sām. néih nē?
17. Sorry? / What? (if you didn’t hear something) - 乜野? māt yéh?
18. How do you say ______ (in Cantonese)? - ______ 用(粵語)點講? ______ yuhng (yuht yúh) dím góng?
19. What does ______ mean? - ______係咩意思? ______ haih mē yi sī
20. I don’t understand. - 我唔明(白)ngóh m̀h mìhng (baahk)
21. Could you repeat that? - 你可唔可以重複一次 néih hó m̀h hó yíh chùhng fūk yāt chi
22. Could you speak more slowly, please? - 你可唔可以講慢啲 néih hó m̀h hó yíh góng maahn dīt
23. Well (as in “well, I think…”) - 好呀 hóu ā
24. Really? - 真係? jān haih?
25. I guess that - 我估 ngóh gú
26. It’s hot. (talking about the weather) - 今日好熱 gām yaht hóu yiht (Today it’s hot)
27. It’s cold. (talking about the weather) - 今日好冷 gām yaht hóu láahng (Today it’s cold)
SOURCE: FUN WITH LANGUAGES














