Although English is widely spoken in Hong Kong, learning how to describe dates in Cantonese would be of great benefit to you. Mastering Cantonese dates will not only help you communicate better with the locals, it will also ensure that you won’t miss out on any important meetings or fun events in town.
In this article, we’ll go over how to say dates in Cantonese, how it differs from how to write dates in Cantonese, and even give you some background information on the Chinese calendar.
Can’t wait to learn about Cantonese dates? Let CantoneseClass101.com give you a hand!
Table of Contents
- Traditional Chinese Calendar and Modern Calendar
- Cantonese Years
- Cantonese Months
- Cantonese Days
- Cantonese Date Format
- The Week in Cantonese
- Other Terms Related to Cantonese Dates
- Simple Sentences
- Conclusion: How CantoneseClass101 Can Help You Learn More Cantonese
1. Traditional Chinese Calendar and Modern Calendar
The traditional Chinese calendar, which can be referred to as either 農曆 (nung4 lik6), 舊曆 (gau6 lik6), or 陰曆 (jam1 lik6) in Cantonese, is a lunisolar calendar which reckons years, months, and days according to astronomical phenomena.
Although modern day Hong Kong uses the Gregorian calendar which aligns with most countries in the world, the traditional Chinese calendar still governs some of the holidays (e.g. the Chinese New Year) and guides people in selecting days for weddings, funerals, moving, or starting a business.
2. Cantonese Years
年 (nin4) is “year” in Cantonese. To express a year in Cantonese, simply convert the number to Chinese characters and add them in front of the character 年 (nin4). For example, the year “2009” is 二零零九年 (ji6 ling4 ling4 gau2 nin4) in Cantonese.
More examples:
| # | Chinese Characters | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一八八零年 | jat1 baat3 baat3 ling4 nin4 | Year 1880 |
| 2 | 一九八四年 | jat1 gau2 baat3 sei3 nin4 | Year 1984 |
| 3 | 二零一九年 | ji6 ling4 jat1 gau2 nin4 | Year 2019 |
| 4 | 二零四七年 | ji6 ling4 sei3 cat1 nin4 | Year 2047 |
| 5 | 二零六六年 | ji6 ling4 luk6 luk6 nin4 | Year 2066 |
3. Cantonese Months
月 (jyut6) is “month” in Cantonese. To express a month in Cantonese, simply add the appropriate number in front of the character 月 (jyut6). For example, December is the twelfth month, so “December” in Cantonese is 十二月 (sap6 ji6 jyut6).
| # | Chinese Characters | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一月 | jat1 jyut6 | January |
| 2 | 二月 | ji6 jyut6 | February |
| 3 | 三月 | saam1 jyut6 | March |
| 4 | 四月 | sei3 jyut6 | April |
| 5 | 五月 | ng5 jyut6 | May |
| 6 | 六月 | luk6 jyut6 | June |
| 7 | 七月 | cat1 jyut6 | July |
| 8 | 八月 | baat3 jyut6 | August |
| 9 | 九月 | gau2 jyut6 | September |
| 10 | 十月 | sap6 jyut6 | October |
| 11 | 十一月 | sap6 jat1 jyut6 | November |
| 12 | 十二月 | sap6 ji6 jyut6 | December |
You can also visit our vocabulary list to familiarize yourself with Cantonese months!
4. Cantonese Days
日 (jat6) is “day” in Cantonese. To express a day in Cantonese, simply add the appropriate number in front of the character 日 (jat6). For example, the eleventh day of the month is “11,” so 11th in the context of a date is 十一日 (sap6 jat1 jat6).
Note that 日 (jat6) is the formal, written form to express a date. If you want to express a date in spoken form, replace 日 (jat6) with 號 (hou6). For example, 一日 (jat1 jat6) becomes 一號 (jat1 hou6). Also, when there’s 二十 (ji6 sap6), replace it with 廿 (jaa6) when speaking. Take the 21st of the month as an example: 二十一日 (ji6 sap6 jat1 jat6) becomes 廿一號 (jaa6 jat1 hou6).
| # | Chinese Characters | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一日 | jat1 jat6 | 1st |
| 2 | 二日 | ji6 jat6 | 2nd |
| 3 | 三日 | saam1 jat6 | 3rd |
| 4 | 四日 | sei3 jat6 | 4th |
| 5 | 五日 | ng5 jat6 | 5th |
| 6 | 六日 | luk6 jat6 | 6th |
| 7 | 七日 | cat1 jat6 | 7th |
| 8 | 八日 | baat3 jat6 | 8th |
| 9 | 九日 | gau2 jat6 | 9th |
| 10 | 十日 | sap6 jat6 | 10th |
| 11 | 十一日 | sap6 jat1 jat6 | 11th |
| 12 | 十二日 | sap6 ji6 jat6 | 12th |
| 13 | 十三日 | sap6 saam1 jat6 | 13th |
| 14 | 十四日 | sap6 sei3 jat6 | 14th |
| 15 | 十五日 | sap6 ng5 jat6 | 15th |
| 16 | 十六日 | sap6 luk6 jat6 | 16th |
| 17 | 十七日 | sap6 cat1 jat6 | 17th |
| 18 | 十八日 | sap6 baat3 jat6 | 18th |
| 19 | 十九日 | sap6 gau2 jat6 | 19th |
| 20 | 二十日 | ji6 sap6 jat6 | 20th |
| 21 | 二十一日 | ji6 sap6 jat1 jat6 | 21st |
| 22 | 二十二日 | ji6 sap6 ji6 jat6 | 22nd |
| 23 | 二十三日 | ji6 sap6 saam1 jat6 | 23rd |
| 24 | 二十四日 | ji6 sap6 sei3 jat6 | 24th |
| 25 | 二十五日 | ji6 sap6 ng5 jat6 | 25th |
| 26 | 二十六日 | ji6 sap6 luk6 jat6 | 26th |
| 27 | 二十七日 | ji6 sap6 cat1 jat6 | 27th |
| 28 | 二十八日 | ji6 sap6 baat3 jat6 | 28th |
| 29 | 二十九日 | ji6 sap6 gau2 jat6 | 29th |
| 30 | 三十日 | saam1 sap6 jat6 | 30th |
| 31 | 三十一日 | saam1 sap6 jat1 jat6 | 31st |
5. Cantonese Date Format
The date is written in the following format in Hong Kong: [year]年 [month]月 [day]日 (nin4 / jyut6 / jat6). Simply insert the appropriate numbers in front of 年 (nin4), 月 (jyut6), and 日 (jat6).
Again, if you would like to say the date out loud, change 日 (jat6) to 號 (hou6).
For example:
| # | Chinese Characters | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一九七八年一月九日 | jat1 gau2 cat1 baat3 nin4 jat1 jyut6 gau2 jat6 | Jan 9, 1978 |
| 2 | 一九八四年十一月十五日 | jat1 gau2 baat3 sei3 nin4 sap6 jat1 jyut6 sap6 ng5 jat6 | Nov 15, 1984 |
| 3 | 二零一九年十二月二十八日 | ji6 ling4 jat1 gau2 nin4 sap6 ji6 jyut6 ji6 sap6 baat3 jat6 | Dec 28, 2019 |
| 4 | 二零三五年十月三十日 | ji6 ling4 saam1 ng5 nin4 sap6 jyut6 saam1 sap6 jat6 | Oct 30, 2035 |
| 5 | 三月六日 | saam1 jyut6 luk6 jat6 | Mar 6 |
| 6 | 八月二十七日 | baat3 jyut6 ji6 sap6 cat1 jat6 | Aug 27 |
| 7 | 十一月二十九日 | sap6 jat1 jyut6 ji6 sap6 gau2 jat6 | Nov 29 |
| 8 | 十二月三十一日 | sap6 ji6 jyut6 saam1 sap6 jat1 jat6 | Dec 31 |
6. The Week in Cantonese
| # | Chinese Characters | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 禮拜 | lai5 baai3 | Week (casual) |
| 2 | 星期 | sing1 kei4 | Week (both formal and casual) |
| 3 | 星期一 | sing1 kei4 jat1 | Monday |
| 4 | 星期二 | sing1 kei4 ji6 | Tuesday |
| 5 | 星期三 | sing1 kei4 saam1 | Wednesday |
| 6 | 星期四 | sing1 kei4 sei3 | Thursday |
| 7 | 星期五 | sing1 kei4 ng5 | Friday |
| 8 | 星期六 | sing1 kei4 luk6 | Saturday |
| 9 | 星期日 | sing1 kei4 jat6 | Sunday |
Make sure to check out our list on Cantonese weeks and days, too!
7. Other Terms Related to Cantonese Dates
| # | Chinese Characters | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 今日 | gam1 jat6 | Today (casual) |
| 2 | 今天 | gam1 tin1m | Today (formal) |
| 3 | 尋日 | cam4 jat6 | Yesterday (casual) |
| 4 | 昨天 | zok3 tin1 | Yesterday (formal) |
| 5 | 聽日 | ting1 jat6 | Tomorrow (casual) |
| 6 | 明天 | ming4 tin1 | Tomorrow (formal) |
| 7 | 前日 | cin4 jat6 | The day before yesterday |
| 8 | 後日 | hau6 jat6 | The day after tomorrow |
| 9 | 閏年日 | jeon6 nin4 jat6 | Leap year day |
| 10 | 閒日 | haan4 jat2 | Weekday |
| 11 | 週末 | zau1 mut6 | Weekend |
| 12 | 日期 | jat6 kei4 | Date |
8. Simple Sentences
Want to learn some simple sentences related to dates? We have examples in both written and spoken form—familiarize yourself with the examples below!
1- 我昨天請假一天
Romanization: ngo5 zok3 tin1 ceng2 gaa3 jat1 tin1
Meaning: I took a day off yesterday.
Form: written form
2- 今天是九月十日星期六
Romanization: gam1 tin1 si6 gau2 jyut6 sap6 jat6 sing1 kei4 luk6
Meaning: Today is September 10th, Saturday.
Form: written form
3- 二月二十九日是閏年日
Romanization: ji6 jyut6 ji6 sap6 gau2 jat6 si6 jeon6 nin4 jat6
Meaning: Leap year day is February 29th.
Form: written form
4- 你幾時得閒？
Romanization: nei5 gei2 si4 dak1 haan4
Meaning: When will you be free?
Form: spoken form
5- 五月三十一日是世界無煙日
Romanization: ng5 jyut6 saam1 sap6 jat1 jat6 si6 sai3 gaai3 mou4 jin1 jat6
Meaning: May 31st is World No Smoking Day.
Form: written form
6- 邊日方便你？
Romanization: bin1 jat6 fong1 bin6 nei5?
Meaning: Which day is good for you?
Form: spoken form
7- 唔好意思，我星期五唔得閒
Romanization: m4 hou2 ji3 si1, ngo5 sing1 kei4 ng5 m4 dak1 haan4
Meaning: I’m sorry, but I’m not available on Friday.
Form: spoken form
8- 學校於八月暫停開放
Romanization: hok6 haau6 jyu1 baat3 jyut6 zaam6 ting4 hoi1 fong3
Meaning: The school is closed in August.
Form: written form
9- 我哋可唔可以約下星期開會？
Romanization: ngo5 dei6 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 joek3 haa6 sing1 kei4 hoi1 wui2
Meaning: Can we set up a meeting next week?
Form: spoken form
10- 我們在六月結婚
Romanization: ngo5 mun4 zoi6 luk6 jyut6 git3 fan1
Meaning: We are getting married in June.
Form: written form
11- 星期五方唔方便？
Romanization: sing1 kei4 ng5 fong1 m4 fong1 bin6
Meaning: Does Friday work for you?
Form: spoken form
12- 三月在北半球及南半球分別代表春季及秋季的來臨
Romanization: saam1 jyut6 zoi6 bak1 bun3 kau4 kap6 naam4 bun3 kau4 fan1 bit6 doi6 biu2 ceon1 gwai3 kap6 cau1 gwai3 dik1 loi4 lam4
Meaning: March marks the start of spring in the northern hemisphere and fall in the southern hemisphere.
Form: written form
13- 明天見
Romanization: ming4 tin1 gin3
Meaning: See you tomorrow!
Form: written form
14- 十二月三十一日是除夕
Romanization: sap6 ji6 jyut6 saam1 sap6 jat1 jat6 si6 ceoi4 zik6
Meaning: December 31st is New Year’s Eve.
Form: written form
15- 星期一、星期二、星期三、星期四及星期五都是平日
Romanization: sing1 kei4 jat1, sing1 kei4 ji6, sing1 kei4 saam1, sing1 kei4 sei3 kap6 sing1 kei4 ng5 dou1 si6 ping4 jat2
Meaning: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are weekdays.
Form: written form
16- 今日係星期日
Romanization: gam1 jat6 hai6 sing1 kei4 jat6
Meaning: Today is Sunday.
Form: spoken form
17- 你今個禮拜得唔得閒？
Romanization: nei5 gam1 go3 lai5 baai1 dak1 m4 dak1 haan4?
Meaning: Are you free this week?
Form: spoken form
18- 今日全部堂都取消
Romanization: gam1 jat6 cyun4 bou6 tong4 dou1 ceoi2 siu1
Meaning: All classes for today got cancelled.
Form: spoken form
9. Conclusion: How CantoneseClass101 Can Help You Learn More Cantonese
Want to level up your Cantonese and learn more Cantonese phrases? No worries. With CantoneseClass101.com, you can have your daily dose of Cantonese whenever and wherever you want, through mobile apps, desktop software, and our website. We offer entertaining, engaging, and effective lessons on various aspects of the Cantonese language and culture.
Until now, we’ve delivered more than 750,000,000 lessons to thousands of happy students from all around the globe. You can learn Cantonese with over 1060 audio and video lessons delivered by our knowledgeable and energetic hosts, detailed PDF lesson notes, an abundance of vocabulary learning tools, spaced repetition flashcards, and a lively community to discuss the lessons with fellow learners. What are you waiting for? Download our lessons, enjoy our audio and video files, and start learning now!
And keep in mind that if you prefer a one-on-one learning approach and want to further accelerate your Cantonese learning, you can take advantage of our MyTeacher program!
Before you go, let us know in the comments how you feel about dates in Cantonese now. We hope you feel more comfortable about how to write dates in Cantonese—to practice, be sure to include today’s date in Cantonese in your comment! We look forward to hearing from you.
