For Hong Kong, 1997 is one of the most significant years in its history; this is the year that British Hong Kong was reunified with China after many years of British rule. In the article, we’ll be discussing the Hong Kong protests, go more into the history of the question “When was Hong Kong given back to China?” and tell you about the day following Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day.
In learning about this important holiday in Hong Kong, you’re allowing yourself to better understand the full extent of its culture. With this knowledge in mind, you’re also more likely to succeed in your Cantonese language studies!
At CantoneseClass101.com, we hope to make your learning journey both fun and informative!
1. What is Establishment Day?
From 1841 to 1997, the British ruled Hong Kong, beginning at the time of the First Opium War fought between the Chinese and the British. The war resulted in China ceding much of the Hong Kong territory to Britain. Later, after the Second Opium War, China gave a ninety-nine-year lease of additional Hong Kong territory to Britain. Once that lease expired, Britain returned all of British Hong Kong back to China.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is the day to commemorate Hong Kong’s return to China following the Hong Kong handover. For Hong Kong, 1997 was an important year—the year it ceased being British Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong reunification with China commenced.
Fun fact:
Do you know Hong Kong’s official name after its return to China?
Hong Kong’s official name after its return to China is Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Therefore, the Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Reunification with China is also called Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day.
2. When is Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day?
July 1 marks Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day, which officially begins at exactly 7:58 am.
3. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day Celebrations
Learn how the Cantonese celebrate Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day by reading the Cantonese text below. You can find the English translation below it.
On the morning of July 1, at 7:58, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR and all members of the Executive Council and government officials attend the flag-raising ceremony at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai. There are also performances by the Police Band, and the Flying Service and Disciplinary Forces give salutes from the air and the sea.
Ever since the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997, there have been protest demonstrations every year on July 1.
Most of them are initiated by the Hong Kong Civil Human Rights Front, with the aim of promoting the human rights movement and the development of civil society; the largest-scale demonstrations were in 2003, 2004, and 2012.
In 2003, the Basic Law Article 23 executed by the Hong Kong Government legislative provoked a large number of grievances; it was said that over 500,000 people participated in the demonstration, all dressed in black.
Hong Kong people expressed their demands rationally and peacefully, and in the end, the Article 23 legislation was shelved, and the July 1 demonstration became a symbol of the Hong Kong people’s spirit.
Since then, the July 1 demonstration has continued every year, mainly to demand universal suffrage, democracy, and improvement in people’s livelihoods, all through appealing to the government about public concerns in a non-violent way.
Hong Kong Reunification Race Day is also held by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Other than horse racing, there are also game booths and stage performances, just like a carnival, but just for adults.
4. The Day Following this Holiday
Did you know that the day following Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day is a market holiday in Hong Kong?
This means that the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is closed on this day each year. This is significant because the Hong Kong Stock Exchange only takes fifteen such holidays a year.
5. Important Vocabulary for Establishment Day
Here’s some vocabulary you should know for Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day!
升旗儀式 (sing1 kei4 ji4 sik1) — flag raising ceremony
嘉年華 (gaa1 nin4 waa4) — carnival
香港回歸紀念日 (hoeng1 gong2 wui4 gwai1 gei2 nim6 jat6) — Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Reunification with China
香港特區行政長官 (hoeng1 gong2 dak6 keoi1 hang4 zing3 zoeng2 gun1) — The Chief Executive of Hong Kong
七一遊行 (cat1 jat1 jau4 hang4) — The Hong Kong 1 July protests
香港回歸賽馬日 (hoeng1 gong2 wui4 gwai1 coi3 maa5 jat6) — Hong Kong Reunification Raceday
We hope you enjoyed learning about Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day! Did you learn something new today? Let us know in the comments!
To continue learning about Hong Kong culture and studying the Cantonese language, visit us at CantoneseClass101.com! We provide an array of fun and effective study tools, including free Cantonese vocabulary lists and more insightful blog posts like this one. By signing up for an account, you can also take advantage of our online community forums; with a Premium Plus account, you can begin using our MyTeacher program, and learn Cantonese one-on-one with your own personal teacher!
Know that your hard work will soon reap rewards, and you’ll be speaking, reading, and writing Cantonese like a native before you know it!
Perhaps one of the most well-known Hong Kong celebrations around the world, the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival is held in commemoration of a poet’s suicide. This facet of the Dragon Boat Festival history may seem odd, and even dark, but it provides great insight into past and current Hong Kong culture.
At CantoneseClass101.com, we hope to make learning about Hong Kong culture and the Cantonese language both fun and informative. Any successful language learner can tell you that comprehending and respecting a country’s culture is a vital step in mastering its language.
That said, we hope you enjoy delving into the Dragon Boat Festival with us!
1. What is the Dragon Boat Festival?
What is Dragon Boat Festival?
The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the ancient poet Qu Yuan, who committed suicide. It must sound pretty unfathomable—how would the suicide of a poet become a festival, or even a public holiday? Let’s look into the origins of the festival.
Qu Yuan, as the Minister over the Masses in the State of Chu, repeatedly tried to convince the fatuous King of Chu to ally with the State of Qi and fight against the State of Qin. But all his endeavors failed and he was exiled. Finally, Chu was destroyed by Qin. Full of grief and agony, Qu Yuan drowned himself in the Miluo River on May 5 on the lunar calendar. Qu Yuan composed a lot of poetry expressing his concern for the country, which is why he was named the patriotic poet.
2. When is the Dragon Boat Festival?
So, When is Dragon Boat Festival?
In Hong Kong, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar. For your convenience, here’s a list of this holiday’s date on the Gregorian calendar for the next ten years.
2019: June 7
2020: June 25
2021: June 14
2022: June 3
2023: June 22
2024: June 10
2025: May 31
2026: June 19
2027: June 9
2028: May 28
3. Reading Practice: Dragon Boat Festival Traditions
From Dragon Boat racing to delicious Dragon Boat Festival food, many traditions encompass the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival. Read the Cantonese text (traditional and Jyutping) to learn more about the Dragon Boat Festival.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, people eat rice dumplings, which are also known as zong. Zong is glutinous rice and other ingredients wrapped in long bamboo or reed leaves and then steamed before eating. This practice originated from Qu Yuan’s suicide, because people from the State of Chu were worried that fish and shrimp would eat his body, so they threw rice-stuffed-bamboo tubes into the river, hoping to keep the fish and shrimp well fed. Later the exterior evolved into bamboo leaves. Nowadays, there are many kinds of salty and sweet zong, including savory meat-stuffed zong and sweet zong.
Another custom of the Dragon Boat Festival is rowing a Dragon Boat. This also originated from Qu Yuan’s suicide, as after his death the people from the State of Chu kept rowing out on the river to try to salvage his body. Nowadays, rowing dragon boats has became a sport that encourages teamwork, and dragon boat races are held annually. In recent years, it has even developed into an international competition, and the International Dragon Boat Federation was founded in 1991. As of November 2012, there are 74 countries or territories with membership, and three pending applications.
Dragon boats differs from canoes and rowboats, because they require more synchronization and strength from the rowers. A standard dragon boat hull is twelve meters long and carries twenty-two rowers, a drummer who sits in the front to boost morale, and a steersman at the tail.
4. Dragon Boat Festival in Stanley
Do you know where most people in Hong Kong celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival?
In Hong Kong, most people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in Stanley. That’s because the largest and the most established Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships are held there. The Stanley Main Street also holds a festive carnival on that day.
5. Useful Vocabulary for the Dragon Boat Festival
Here’s some vocabulary you should know for the Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong!
To hear each of these vocabulary words pronounced, check out our Cantonese Dragon Boat Festival vocabulary list. Here, you’ll find each of these words accompanied by an audio file of its pronunciation.
Conclusion
What do you think about Hong Kong’s Dragon Boat Festival? Let us know in the comments; we always love to hear from you!
To learn more about culture in Hong Kong, and of course the Cantonese language, visit us at CantoneseClass101.com! We provide learning tools for every student, to ensure that anyone can master Cantonese, and have fun while doing so. Check out our free vocabulary lists to improve your word knowledge, read more insightful blog posts like this one, and chat with fellow Cantonese learners on our community forums! By upgrading to Premium Plus, you can also take advantage of our MyTeacher program, and learn Cantonese one-on-one with your own personal teacher.
What are you waiting for? With your determination and our learning tools & support, you can master Cantonese before you know it!
Tomb Sweeping Day (or the Ching Ming Festival) in Hong Kong, is a day of great importance to HongKongers. This is because it’s the day on which they fulfill their duties of filial piety by honoring deceased family and ancestors according to tradition.
CantoneseClass101.com hopes to give you a better understanding of the Ching Ming Festival in Hong Kong, and to give you a good idea of Tomb Sweeping Day’s meaning. In learning about this significant aspect of Hong Kong culture, you’re not only immersing yourself in the country of your target language, but you’re allowing yourself to find more purpose in your language-learning journey.
Let’s begin by answering the following question: “What is Tomb Sweeping Day?”
1. What is the Ching Ming Festival?
Each year in Hong Kong, the Ching Ming Festival—also known as Tomb Sweeping Day—is celebrated. This is the day when HongKongers pay respect to their deceased family members and honor their duties of filial piety. This means traveling (sometimes long distances) to clean up their grave sites and burn papier-mâché and joss money there.
2. When is Tomb Sweeping Day?
Each year, the Ching Ming Festival is typically celebrated on April 4 or 5, though sometimes it takes place on April 6. Though the date doesn’t vary too much from year to year, we’ll still provide you with an outline of this holiday’s date for the next ten years:
2019: April 5
2020: April 4
2021: April 4
2022: April 5
2023: April 5
2024: April 4
2025: April 4
2026: April 6
2027: April 5
2028: April 4
3. Reading Practice: How is the Ching Ming Festival Celebrated?
How is Tomb Sweeping Day in Hong Kong celebrated? Read the Cantonese text below to find out, and to learn some Ching Ming Festival facts. (You can find the English translation directly below it.)
拜山時最常用的花是菊花。因為菊花含有思、懷念的意思,其中白色的菊花更代表對逝去者的尊敬,所以清明節大部分人都在墳前獻上菊花來表示悼念故人。
—
The traditional activity of the Ching Ming Festival is to visit, clean, and pay our respects at our ancestors’ graves. It means to carry out filial piety by burning incense, weeding, and burning joss money and papier-mâché offerings in front of the tombstones. As spring starts around the same time, some families take the opportunity to go on an outing and get some fresh air. Some families will visit the ancestors’ graves a few days or even weeks earlier to avoid the crowd, so generally speaking the customs are not limited to Ching Ming Day only.
The papier-mâché offerings we burn during the Ching Ming Festival are papier-mâché models in the shape of daily-use items; descendants send these items to their ancestors in the underworld by burning them, hoping that the ancestors will have an affluent lifestyle in the afterlife.The papier-mâché stores offer countless types of items, fancy cars, villas, servants, yachts, game consoles, mobile phones, pets, and so on. Everything that we use comes in a papier-mâché version for the deceased. Small items are usually in 1-1 size, but bigger items are usually made at a smaller scale for easier delivery.
The most common flower used to pay respect to the deceased is chrysanthemum. That’s because chrysanthemum represents yearning and longing, especially the white chrysanthemum, which is used in memorial ceremonies. Therefore most people bring chrysanthemums to the graveyards on Ching Ming Festival.
4. Additional Information
One of the most common Ching Ming Festival foods is sweetened green rice balls, which are made in advance so as to keep the actual holiday free for the traditional activities.
There is another common phenomenon on Ching Ming Festival: wildfire. While paying respect to the deceased, some people have accidentally left fires burning, or have not used metal buckets to burn joss money and products. Wildfires started by human negligence like this have burned down a lot of trees and wildlife. Of course, this attracts a lot of public attention every year, so the government has set up laws to regulate it and raise the public’s awareness of fire safety.
There is a very famous poem by Du Mu about the festival:
Drizzling rain falls on Ching Ming days.
The mourners’ hearts are broken.
Where can a wine-house be found to drown one’s sorrow?
A cowherd points to Almond Flower Village in the distance.
5. Must-know Vocab
Here’s some vocabulary you should know for the Ching Ming Festival!
祖先 (zou2 sin1) — ancestor
清明節 (cing1 ming4 zit3) — Qingming Festival
野餐 (je5 caan1) — picnic
白切雞 (baak6 cit3 gai1) — white sliced chicken
掃墓 (sou3 mou6) — pay respects to a dead person at his tomb
祭祖 (zai3 zou2) — pay respect to deceased ancestors
香燭 (hoeng1 zuk1) — joss stick
陰司紙 (jam1 si1 zi2) — Joss paper
孝道 (haau3 dou6) — filial piety
杜牧 (dou6 muk6) — Du Mu
拜山 (baai3 saan1) — commemorate a dead person at his grave
To hear each word pronounced, check out our Ching Ming Festival vocabulary list. Here, you’ll find each word accompanied by an audio of its pronunciation.
Conclusion
What do you think about the Tomb Sweeping Festival in Hong Kong? Is there a holiday in your country for honoring the deceased? Let us know in the comments!
We hope that you enjoyed learning about the Ching Ming Festival with us. For more information on Cantonese culture and the Cantonese language, visit us at CantoneseClass101.com. We offer an array of insightful blog posts, free vocabulary lists, and an online community to discuss lessons with fellow Cantonese learners. You can also upgrade to Premium Plus to take advantage of a one-on-one learning experience with our MyTeacher program!
In the meantime, keep up your hard work! Know that learning about a country’s culture can be exciting, and is a great way to enrich your language skills. All your hard work, studying, and practice will pay off!
Do you often feel lonely and sad? Do you long for romance and are willing to do whatever it takes to meet that special person? Speaking another language could revolutionize your love life! So, why wait? Learning how to say ‘love’ in Cantonese could be just what you need to find it.
Or perhaps you were lucky, and have found your Cantonese partner already. Fantastic! Yet, a cross-cultural relationship comes with unique challenges. Learning how to speak your lover’s language will greatly improve your communication and enhance the relationship. At CantoneseClass101, our team will teach you all the words, quotes and phrases you need to woo your Cantonese lover with excellence! Our tutors provide personal assistance, with plenty of extra material available to make Cantonese dating easy for you.
Start with a bonus, and download the ‘How To be a Good Lover Cheat Sheet’ for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)
1. Common Phrases You’ll Need for a Date
So, you have met your Cantonese love interest. Congratulations! Who knows where this could take you…?! However, the two of you have just met and you’re not ready to say the Cantonese word for love just yet. Great, it is better to get to know him/her first. Wow your prospective love by using these Cantonese date phrases to set up a spectacular first date.
Would you like to go out to dinner with me?
賞面同我食餐飯嗎?
soeng2 min2 tung4 ngo5 sik6 caan1 faan6 maa3?
The important question! In most cultures, this phrase indicates: ‘I’m romantically interested in you’. Flirting in Cantonese is no different, so don’t take your date to Mcdonald’s!
Are you free this weekend?
你今個禮拜尾得唔得閒?
nei5 gam1 go3 lai5 baai1 mei5 dak1 m4 dak1 haan4?
This is a preamble to asking your love interest on a date. If you get an immediate ‘Yes’, that’s good news!
Would you like to hang out with me?
我哋一齊去玩好嗎?
ngo5 dei6 jat1 cai4 heoi3 waan2 hou2 maa3?
You like her/him, but you’re not sure if there’s chemistry. Ask them to hang out first to see if a dinner date is next.
What time shall we meet tomorrow?
我哋聽日幾點見?
ngo5 dei6 ting1 jat6 gei2 dim2 gin3?
Set a time, and be sure to arrive early! Nothing spoils a potential relationship more than a tardy date.
Where shall we meet?
我哋喺邊度等?
ngo5 dei6 hai2 bin1 dou6 dang2?
You can ask this, but also suggest a place.
You look great.
你好靚。
nei5 hou2 leng3.
A wonderful ice breaker! This phrase will help them relax a bit – they probably took great care to look their best just for you.
You are so cute.
你好可愛。
nei5 hou2 ho2 oi3.
If the two of you are getting on really well, this is a fun, flirtatious phrase to use.
What do you think of this place?
你鍾唔鍾意呢度?
nei5 zung1 m4 zung1 ji3 ni1 dou6?
This another good conversation starter. Show off your Cantonese language skills!
Can I see you again?
我可唔可以再約你?
ngo5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 zoi3 joek3 nei5?
So the date went really well – don’t waste time! Make sure you will see each other again.
Shall we go somewhere else?
不如我哋去第二度?
bat1 jyu4 ngo5 dei6 heoi3 dai6 ji6 dou6?
If the place you meet at is not great, you can suggest going elsewhere. It is also a good question to follow the previous one. Variety is the spice of life!
I know a good place.
我識一個好地方。
ngo5 sik1 jat1 go3 hou2 dei6 fong1.
Use this with the previous question. However, don’t say if you don’t know a good place!
I will drive you home.
我車你返屋企。
ngo5 ce1 nei5 faan1 uk1 kei5.
If your date doesn’t have transport, this is a polite, considerate offer. However, don’t be offended if she/he turns you down on the first date. Especially a woman might not feel comfortable letting you drive her home when the two of you are still basically strangers.
That was a great evening.
今晚好開心。
gam1 maan1 hou2 hoi1 sam1.
This is a good phrase to end the evening with.
When can I see you again?
幾時可以再見你?
gei2 si4 ho2 ji3 zoi3 gin3 nei5?
If he/she replied ‘Yes’ to ‘Can I see you again?’, this is the next important question.
I’ll call you.
我打畀你。
ngo5 daa2 bei2 nei5.
Say this only if you really mean to do it. In many cultures, this could imply that you’re keeping the proverbial backdoor open.
You learned all the Cantonese phrases to make a date – congratulations! Now you have to decide where to meet, which can be tricky. Discuss these options with your lover to gauge whether you like the same things. Check out romantic date ideas in Cantonese below!
museum
博物館
bok3 mat6 gun2
If you’re looking for unique date ideas that are fun but won’t break the bank, museums are the perfect spot! You won’t be running out of things to say in the conversations.
candlelit dinner
燭光晚餐
zuk1 gwong1 maan5 caan1
A candlelit dinner is perhaps best to reserve for when the relationship is getting serious. It’s very intimate, and says: “Romance!” It’s a fantastic choice if you’re sure you and your date are in love with each other!
go to the zoo
去動物園
heoi3 dung6 mat6 jyun4
This is a good choice for shy lovers who want to get the conversation going. Just make sure your date likes zoos, as some people dislike them. Maybe not for the first date, but this is also a great choice if your lover has children – you’ll win his/her adoration for inviting them along!
go for a long walk
去散步
heoi3 saan3 bou6
Need to talk about serious stuff, or just want to relax with your date? Walking together is soothing, and a habit you can keep up together always! Just make sure it’s a beautiful walk that’s not too strenuous.
go to the opera
去睇歌劇
heoi3 tai2 go1 kek6
This type of date should only be attempted if both of you love the opera. It can be a special treat, followed by a candlelit dinner!
go to the aquarium
去水族館
heoi3 seoi2 zuk6 gun2
Going to the aquarium is another good idea if you need topics for conversation, or if you need to impress your lover’s kids! Make sure your date doesn’t have a problem with aquariums.
walk on the beach
喺沙灘散步
hai2 saa1 taan1 saan3 bou6
This can be a very romantic stroll, especially at night! The sea is often associated with romance and beauty.
have a picnic
野餐
je5 caan1
If you and your date need to get more comfortable together, this can be a fantastic date. Spending time in nature is soothing and calms the nerves.
cook a meal together
一齊煮飯
jat1 cai4 zyu2 faaan6
If you want to get an idea of your date’s true character in one go, this is an excellent date! You will quickly see if the two of you can work together in a confined space. If it works, it will be fantastic for the relationship and create a sense of intimacy. If not, you will probably part ways!
have dinner and see a movie
食飯睇戲
sik6 faan6 tai2 hei3
This is traditional date choice works perfectly well. Just make sure you and your date like the same kind of movies!
3. Must-know Valentine’s Day Vocabulary
Expressing your feelings honestly is very important in any relationship all year round. Yet, on Valentine’s Day you really want to shine. Impress your lover this Valentine’s with your excellent vocabulary, and make his/her day! We teach you, in fun, effective ways, the meanings of the words and how to pronounce them. You can also copy the characters and learn how to write ‘I love you’ in Cantonese – think how impressed your date will be!
4. Cantonese Love Phrases for Valentine’s Day
So, you now have the basic Valentine’s Day vocabulary under your belt. Well done! But, do you know how to say ‘I love you’ in Cantonese yet? Or perhaps you are still only friends. So, do you know how to say ‘I like you’ or ‘I have a crush on you’ in Cantonese? No? Don’t worry, here are all the love phrases you need to bowl over your Cantonese love on this special day!
I love you.
我愛你。
ngo5 oi3 nei5.
Saying ‘I love you’ in Cantonese carries the same weight as in all languages. Use this only if you’re sure and sincere about your feelings for your partner/friend.
You mean so much to me.
你喺我心目中好重要。
nei5 hai2 ngo5 sam1 muk6 zung1 hou2 zung6 jiu3.
This is a beautiful expression of gratitude that will enhance any relationship! It makes the receiver feel appreciated and their efforts recognized.
Will you be my Valentine?
你願意做我嘅愛人嗎?
nei5 jyun6 ji3 zou6 ngo5 ge3 oi3 jan4 maa3?
With these words, you are taking your relationship to the next level! Or, if you have been a couple for a while, it shows that you still feel the romance. So, go for it!
You’re so beautiful.
你好靚。
nei5 hou2 leng3.
If you don’t know how to say ‘You’re pretty’ in Cantonese, this is a good substitute, gentlemen!
I think of you as more than a friend.
我當你係朋友咋。
ngo5 dong3 nei5 hai6 pang4 jau5 zaa3.
Say this if you are not yet sure that your romantic feelings are reciprocated. It is also a safe go-to if you’re unsure about the Cantonese dating culture.
A hundred hearts would be too few to carry all my love for you.
You romantic you…! When your heart overflows with love, this would be the best phrase to use.
Love is just love. It can never be explained.
愛就係愛。解釋唔到。
oi3 zau6 hai6 oi3. gaai2 sik1 m4 dou2.
If you fell in love unexpectedly or inexplicably, this one’s for you.
You’re so handsome.
你好靚仔。
nei5 hou2 leng3 zai2.
Ladies, this phrase lets your Cantonese love know how much you appreciate his looks! Don’t be shy to use it; men like compliments too.
I’ve got a crush on you.
我暗戀你。
ngo5 am3 lyun5 nei5.
If you like someone, but you’re unsure about starting a relationship, it would be prudent to say this. It simply means that you like someone very, very much and think they’re amazing.
Gentlemen, don’t claim this phrase as your own! It hails from the movie ‘As Good as it Gets’, but it is sure to make your Cantonese girlfriend feel very special. Let her know that she inspires you!
Here’s something fun to tease your lover with. And hope he/she was thinking of you!
5. Cantonese Quotes about Love
You’re a love champ! You and your Cantonese lover are getting along fantastically, your dates are awesome, your Valentine’s Day together was spectacular, and you’re very much in love. Good for you! Here are some beautiful phrases of endearment in Cantonese that will remind him/her who is in your thoughts all the time.
6. Marriage Proposal Lines
Wow. Your Cantonese lover is indeed the love of your life – congratulations! And may only happiness follow the two of you! In most traditions, the man asks the woman to marry; this is also the Cantonese custom. Here are a few sincere and romantic lines that will help you to ask your lady-love for her hand in marriage.
7. 15 Most Common Break-Up Lines
Instead of moving towards marriage or a long-term relationship, you find that the spark is not there for you. That is a pity! But even though breaking up is never easy, continuing a bad or unfulfilling relationship would be even harder. Remember to be kind to the person you are going to say goodbye to; respect and sensitivity cost nothing. Here are some phrases to help you break up gently.
We need to talk.
我哋有啲嘢要傾下。
ngo5 dei6 jau5 di1 je5 jiu3 king1 haa5.
This is not really a break-up line, but it is a good conversation opener with a serious tone.
Things moved a bit fast and got too intense, too soon? Painful as it is, honesty is often the best way to break up with somebody.
Let’s just be friends.
我哋做朋友算啦。
ngo5 dei6 zou6 pang4 jau5 syun3 laa1.
If the relationship was very intense, and you have sent many ‘i love u’ texts in Cantonese, this would not be a good breakup line. Feelings need to calm down before you can be friends, if ever. If the relationship has not really developed yet, a friendship would be possible.
I think we need a break.
我諗我哋要分開下。
ngo5 lam2 ngo5 dei6 jiu3 fan1 hoi1 haa5.
This is again honest, and to the point. No need to play with someone’s emotions by not letting them know how you feel. However, this could imply that you may fall in love with him/her again after a period of time, so use with discretion.
This is probably the least gentle break-up phrase, so reserve it for a lover that doesn’t get the message!
I need my space.
我需要啲私人空間。
ngo5 seoi1 jiu3 di1 si1 jan4 hung1 gaan1.
When a person is too clingy or demanding, this would be an suitable break-up phrase. It is another good go-to for that lover who doesn’t get the message!
I think we’re moving too fast.
我諗我哋進展得太快。
ngo5 lam2 ngo5 dei6 zeon3 zin2 dak1 taai3 faai3.
Say this if you want to keep the relationship, but need to slow down its progress a bit. It is also good if you feel things are getting too intense for your liking. However, it is not really a break-up line, so be careful not to mislead.
I need to focus on my career.
我要專注喺我嘅事業。
ngo5 jiu3 zyun1 zyu3 hai2 ngo5 ge3 si6 jip6.
If you feel that you will not be able to give 100% in a relationship due to career demands, this is the phrase to use. It’s also good if you are unwilling to give up your career for a relationship.
I’m not good enough for you.
我配你唔起。
ngo5 pui3 nei5 m4 hei2.
Say this only if you really believe it, or you’ll end up sounding false. Break-ups are usually hard for the receiving party, so don’t insult him/her with an insincere comment.
I just don’t love you anymore.
我已經唔再愛你喇。
ngo5 ji5 ging1 m4 zoi3 oi3 nei5 laa3.
This harsh line is sometimes the best one to use if you are struggling to get through to a stubborn, clingy lover who won’t accept your break up. Use it as a last resort. Then switch your phone off and block their emails!
We’re just not right for each other.
我哋唔係好適合對方。
ngo5 dei6 m4 hai6 hou2 sik1 hap6 deoi3 fong1.
If this is how you truly feel, you need to say it. Be kind, gentle and polite.
It’s for the best.
咁樣其實最好。
gam2 joeng2 kei4 sat6 zeoi3 hou2.
This phrase is called for if circumstances are difficult and the relationship is not progressing well. Love should enhance one’s life, not burden it!
Cross-cultural relationships are often long-distance ones, and it is easy to grow apart over time.
It’s not you. It’s me.
唔關你事,係我嘅問題。
m4 gwaan1 nei5 si6, hai6 ngo5 ge3 man6 tai4.
As long as you mean it, this can be a kind thing to say. It means that there’s nothing wrong with your Cantonese lover as a person, but that you need something different from a relationship.
8. Will Falling in Love help you Learn Cantonese faster?
Most people will agree that the above statement is a no-brainer – of course it will! Your body will be flooded with feel-good hormones, which are superb motivators for anything. CantoneseClass101 is one of the best portals to help help make this a reality, so don’t hesitate to enroll now! Let’s quickly look at the reasons why falling in love will speed up your learning of the Cantonese language.
Three Reasons Why Having a Lover will Help you Learn Cantonese Faster!
1- Being in a love relationship with your Cantonese speaking partner will immerse you in the culture
CantoneseClass101 uses immersive methods and tools to teach you Cantonese, but having a relationship with a native speaker will be a very valuable addition to your learning experience! You will gain exposure to their world, realtime and vividly, which will make the language come alive even more for you. The experience is likely to expand your world-view, which should motivate you to learn Cantonese even faster.
2- Having your Cantonese romantic partner will mean more opportunity to practice speaking
Nothing beats continuous practice when learning a new language. Your partner will probably be very willing to assist you in this, as your enhanced Cantonese language skills will enhance the relationship. Communication is, after all, one of the most important pillars of a good partnership. Also, you will get to impress your lover with the knowledge gained through your studies – a win/win situation!
3- A supportive Cantonese lover is likely to make a gentle, patient teacher and study aid!
With his/her heart filled with love and goodwill for you, your Cantonese partner is likely to patiently and gently correct your mistakes when you speak. This goes not only for grammar, but also for accent and meaning. With his/her help, you could sound like a native in no time!
Three Reasons Why CantoneseClass101 helps you learn Cantonese Even Faster when you’re In Love
Start with a bonus, and download the ‘How To be a Good Lover Cheat Sheet’ for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)
1- All the Resources and Materials Will Help Both of You
Falling in love with a man or woman speaking Cantonese is an opportunity for both of you to learn a new language! For this reason, every lesson, transcript, vocabulary list, and resource at CantoneseClass101 is translated into both English and Cantonese. So, while your partner can help you learn Cantonese faster, you can potentially also help him/her learn and master English!
2- Lessons Are Designed to Help You Understand and Engage with Cantonese Culture
At CantoneseClass101, our focus is to help our students learn practical vocabulary and phrases used by everyday people in China. This means that, from your very first lesson, you can apply what you learn immediately! So, when your Cantonese partner wants to go out to a restaurant, play Pokemon Go, or attend just about any social function, you have the vocabulary and phrases necessary to have a great time!
3- Access to Special Resources Dedicated to Romantic Cantonese Phrases
You now have access to CantoneseClass101’s specially-developed sections and tools to teach you love words, phrases, and cultural insights to help you find and attract your Cantonese soul mate. A personal tutor will assist you to master these brilliantly – remember to invite him/her to your wedding!
In Hong Kong, people celebrate the beginning of the new lunar year, according to the Chinese lunar calendar. The Hong Kong New Year celebrations can take many forms—from lion dances, to fireworks, and even the Hong Kong New Year countdown. Many of these celebrations for the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong have their roots in tradition, and thus learning about this holiday and how it’s celebrated will help you know more about the Hong Kong culture as a whole.
At CantoneseClass101.com, we seek to provide you with all the info you need to better understand Hong Kong, its people, and its language. By learning about these things, you’re both enabling yourself to master the Cantonese language and nuances, and showing respect for the country you plan to visit.
So, what exactly is the Hong Kong New Year? How is the Hong Kong New Year’s Eve celebrated?
1. What is the Chinese Lunar New Year?
The Chinese Lunar New Year is a celebration of the beginning of the new lunar year. It lasts a few days and is associated with many fascinating traditions. Learn more about the Hong Kong New Year below.
2. When is it?
This holiday falls on a different day each year on the Gregorian calendar, based on the lunar year calendar. For your convenience, here’s a list of this holiday’s dates for the next ten years.
2019: February 5
2020: January 25
2021: February 12
2022: February 1
2023: January 22
2024: February 10
2025: January 29
2026: February 17
2027: February 6
2028: January 26
3. How is it Celebrated?
There are a lot of traditional customs that are carried out before and after the Lunar New Year.
Before the Lunar New Year, everyone is busy with all kinds of chores, like buying New Year’s foods, preparing red packets, getting haircuts, and purchasing new clothes. During the lunar calendar’s twelfth month, on the eighth day, everyone spring cleans their houses, which in Cantonese is referred to as 大掃除.
On New Year’s Eve, family members gather and have a festive dinner together, called 團年飯.
On New Year’s Day, people visit their parents and wish for good luck at shrines by burning incense.
On day two of the Hong Kong New Year, the visits continue, and everyone watches the Hong Kong New Year’s Eve fireworks in the evening.
When visiting relatives and friends during Lunar New Year, everyone offers auspicious greetings. You might have heard of the most famous New Year’s greeting, 恭喜發財, which means ‘Happy New Year and wishing you prosperity’.
The host decorates the home with a spring couplet and flowers, and prepares red packets, or 利是, a Chinese candy box, or 全盒, and rice cakes for their guests.
Eating rice cakes during Lunar New Year means wishing for improvement in all aspects of life. This is because in Cantonese and Chinese, the word “rice cake” or 年糕 sounds similar to the other word 年高, meaning “higher level in the year”.
The most interesting aspect of the Lunar New Year is the red packets, which is 利是 in Cantonese. These are small red or golden envelopes filled with money. Every married person prepares numerous red packets to give to their unmarried relatives and friends, as well as to the people who help them frequently in daily life, such as doormen and cleaners. Giving people red packets is seen as a way to share blessings and good luck with others.
Most companies also give employees red packets on the first day of work after the holiday as a blessing for a year of good fortune.
Though the Lunar New Year involves a lot of visits, there is also a day when you aren’t supposed to visit others. This would be the third day of the New Year, and it is because this day is considered unlucky, so you’re supposed to refrain from spreading the bad luck by visiting others’ homes. If nothing else, it’s a good excuse to take a break from the many visits you make on the first and second day of the New Year!
4. Additional Information
You should wear red during the Lunar New Year, because in Chinese culture, red, or 紅色 in Cantonese, represents “the joy” and “good luck.” But keep in mind that the colors black and white represent death, so be sure not to wear all black or white during this time!
5. Must-know Vocab
Here’s some vocab for you to review so that you can celebrate this holiday without a hitch.
舞獅 (mou5 si1) — lion dance
蘿蔔糕 (lo4 baak6 gou1) — turnip cake
年糕 (nin4 gou1) — rice cake
團年飯 (tyun4 nin4 faan6) — reunion dinner
利是 (lei6 si6) — the red envelope
拜年 (baai3 nin4) — to visit someone during the Chinese New Year
Now you know how the Chinese New Year is celebrated in Hong Kong! What do you think about the Hong Kong New Year events? Let us know in the comments!
To gain even more knowledge about Hong Kong’s culture, visit us at CantoneseClass101.com. We offer informative blog posts, vocabulary lists on a range of topics, and even host an online community forum where you can discuss lessons with fellow Cantonese learners. And if you prefer a one-on-one learning experience, you can download our MyTeacher app which will provide you with your very own Cantonese teacher.
We wish you well in your Cantonese learning journey and hope that you’re ready to celebrate the in Hong Kong on New Year’s Eve. Have fun!
Most everyone is familiar with this day, as it is celebrated nearly everywhere the world. Yet, when exactly is April Fools’ Day? And where did April Fools come from? April Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st every year. This day of jokes and pranks is believed to have stemmed from the 16th-century calendar change in France, when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. This action was taken due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.
However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change, so they continued to observe New Year’s Day on April 1st, rather than the new date. They were referred to as the “April Fools”, and others started playing mocking tricks on them. This custom endured, and is practiced to this day around the world!
1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day
Do you want to know how to say April Fools’ Day in Cantonese? Well, there are millions of ways and words, but here are the top one million Cantonese words you really need to know! Simply click this link. Here are some of them you will find useful:
joke – 開玩笑 – hoi1 wun6 siu3
funny – 有趣 – jau5 ceoi3
sneaky – 鬼鬼鼠鼠 – gwai2 gwai2 syu2 syu2
prankster – 惡作劇者 – ok3 zok3 kek6 ze2
prank – 惡作劇 – ok3 zok3 kek6
play a joke – 整蠱人 – zing2 gu2 jan4
humor – 幽默 – jau1 mak6
fool – 傻瓜 – so4 gwaa1
deceptive – 呃人 – aak1 jan4
April 1st – 四月一日 – sei3 jyut6 jat1 jat6
lie – 講大話 – gong2 daai6 waa6
surprise – 驚喜 – ging1 hei2
2. Cantonese Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day
Don’t limit yourself to practical jokes – use these April Fools’ phrases in Cantonese to prank your favorite Cantonese speaking friend or colleague!
Choose your victims carefully, though; the idea is to get them to laugh with you, not to hurt their feelings or humiliate them in front of others. Be extra careful if you choose to play a prank on your boss – you don’t want to antagonize them with an inappropriate joke.
3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody
Right, now that you know the top million April Fools’ words in Cantonese, let’s look at some super pranks and tricks to play on friends, colleagues and family. Some April Fools ideas never grow old, while new ones are born every year.
Never joke in such a way that it hurts anyone, or humiliates them badly in front of others – the idea is for everybody to laugh and enjoy the fun! Respect is still key, no matter what day of the year it is.
1- Infestation
This trick is so simple, yet so creepy, it’s almost unbelievable. Take black paper, cut out the silhouette of a giant cockroach, a spider or another insect, and stick it inside the lampshade of a table lamp. When the lamp is switched on, it will look like a monstrous insect is sitting inside the lampshade. Or, get a whole lot of realistic-looking plastic insects, and spread them over a colleague’s desk and chair, or, at home, over the kids’ beds etc. Creep-factor: stellar.
2- Which One Doesn’t Fit?
Put the photo of a celebrity or a notorious politician in a frame, and take it to work on April Fools’ Day. Hang the photo on the staff picture wall, and wait. You’ll be surprised how long it can take for people to notice that one picture doesn’t fit.
3- Something Weird in the Restroom
At work, replace the air freshener in the restroom with something noxious like insect killer, oven cleaner or your own odious mixture in a spray bottle. Be sure to cover the bottle’s body so no one suspects a swap.
Or paint a bar of soap with clear nail polish, and leave it at the hand wash basin. It will not lather.
Or, if your workplace’s restroom has partitioned toilets with short doors, arrange jeans or trousers and shoes on all but one of the toilet covers, so it looks like every stall is occupied. Now wait for complaints, and see how long it takes for someone to figure out the April Fools’ Day prank. You’ll probably wish you had a camera inside the restroom. But, unless you don’t mind getting fired, don’t put your own recording device in there!
4- Call Me Funny
Prepare and print out a few posters with the following instructions: Lion Roar Challenge! Call this number – 123-456-7890 – and leave your best lion’s roar as voicemail! Best roarer will be announced April 10 in the cafeteria. Prize: $100. (Lion’s roar is just an example; you can use any animal call, or even a movie character’s unique sound, such as Chewbacca from Star Wars. The weirder, the funnier. Obviously!) Put the posters up in the office where most of the staff is likely to see them. Now wait for the owner of the number to visit you with murderous intent. Have a conciliatory gift ready that’s not a prank.
5- Minty Cookies
This is another simple but hugely effective prank – simply separate iced cookies, scrape off the icing, and replace it with toothpaste. Serve during lunch or tea break at work, or put in your family’s lunch boxes. Be sure to take photos of your victim’s faces when they first bite into your April Fools’ cookies.
6- Wild Shopping
At your local grocer, place a realistic-looking plastic snake or spider among the fresh vegetables. Now wait around the corner for the first yell.
7- The Oldest Trick in the Book
Don’t forget probably the oldest, yet very effective April Fools’ joke in the book – smearing hand cream or Vaseline on a door handle that most staff, family or friends are likely to use. Yuck to the max!
8- Sneeze On Me
Another golden oldie is also gross, yet harmless and utterly satisfying as a prank. Fill a small spray bottle that you can easily conceal with water. Walk past a friend, colleague or one of your kids, and fake a sneeze while simultaneously spraying them with a bit of water. Expect to be called a totally disgusting person. Add a drop of lovely smelling essential oil to the water for extra confusion.
9- Word Play Repairs
Put a fresh leek in the hand wash basin at home or work, and then tell your housemates or colleagues this: “There’s a huge leak in the restroom/bathroom basin, it’s really serious. Please can someone go have a look?!” Expect exasperation and smiles all around. Note that this prank is only likely to work where people understand English well.
10- Scary Face
Print out a very scary face on an A4 sheet of paper, and place it in a colleague’s, or one of your kid’s drawers, so it’s the first thing they see when they open the drawer. You may not be very popular for a while.
11- Wake Up To Madness
Put foamy shaving cream, or real whipped cream on your hand, and wake your kid up by tickling their nose with it. As long as they get the joke, this could be a wonderful and fun way to start April Fools’ Day.
12- Computer Prank
This one’s fabulous, if you have a bit of time to fiddle with a colleague, friend or your kid’s computer. It is most effective on a computer where most of the icons they use are on the desktop background itself (as opposed to on the bottom task bar).
Take and save a screenshot of their desktop with the icons. Set this screenshot as their background image. Now delete all the working icons. When they return to their computer, wait for the curses when no amount of clicking on the icons works.
13- Monster Under the Cup
This one will also work well anywhere people meet. Take a paper cup, and write the following on it in black pen: “Danger! Don’t lift, big spider underneath.” Place it upside-down on prominent flat surface, such as a kitchen counter, a colleague’s desk or a restaurant table. Expect some truly interesting responses.
14- Prank Door
Write in large letters on a large and noticeable piece of paper: PUSH. Tape this notice on a door that should be pulled to open, and watch the hilarious struggle of those clever souls who actually read signs.
4. How Can CantoneseClass101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?
If you happen to visit China, or if you work for any Cantonese speaking company, knowing the above Cantonese prankster phrases can really lighten up your day. Showing you have a sense of humor can go a long way to cement good relationships in any situation. These phrases are at your disposal for free, as well as are these 100 core Cantonese words, which you will learn how to pronounce perfectly.
Also, don’t stop at learning April Fools’ phrases in Cantonese – bone up your Cantonese language skills with these FREE key phrases. Yes, CantoneseClass101 doesn’t joke when it comes to effective, fun and easy learning.
Thank you for helping CantoneseClass101! We’re serious about making learning Cantonese fun.
Learn all the Cantonese New Year wishes online, in your own time, on any device! Join CantoneseClass101 for a special Cantonese New Year celebration!
Can you relate to the year passing something like this: “January, February, March – December!”? Many people do! Quantum physics teaches us that time is relative, and few experiences illustrate this principle as perfectly as when we reach the end of a year. To most of us, it feels like the old one has passed in the blink of an eye, while the new year lies ahead like a very long journey! However, New Year is also a time to celebrate beginnings, and to say goodbye to what has passed. This is true in every culture, no matter when New Year is celebrated.
So, how do you say Happy New Year in Cantonese? Let a native teach you! At CantoneseClass101, you will learn how to correctly greet your friends over New Year, and wish them well with these Cantonese New Year wishes!
Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question?
What is the most popular way to send New Year’s messages after the New Year’s Eve countdown in modern-day Hong Kong?
If you don’t already know, you’ll find out a bit later, so keep reading!
Every 31st of December, countdown celebrations are held throughout Hong Kong. Many countdown events are held in shopping centers, but the government’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department also organizes the countdown carnival, which is 嘉年華 in Cantonese. Usually, families spend the New Years’ events and celebrations together in Hong Kong. A lot of people also host private parties at restaurants and clubhouses on New Year’s Eve.
Among the many countdown celebrations held in Hong Kong, the most popular is fireworks on Victoria Harbour. Fireworks are called 煙花 in Cantonese. This event attracts a lot of people to the shores.
In Hong Kong, there are three major outdoor New Year countdown events. “Countdown” in Cantonese is 倒數. The first is the Apple Countdown, which is held at Times Square in Causeway Bay. The concept of this countdown was inspired by the New Year countdown held in Times Square in New York. The second takes place on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, where famous celebrities perform and count down the coming of the New Year along with the public. The third is at Lan Kwai Fong in Central. During New Year’s, every bar, restaurant and nightclub in these areas is packed, and the streets are filled with people. The roads around those areas are blocked for the day and become “pedestrian zones”, or 行人專用區 in Cantonese.
Crowded events such as these often lead to outbreaks of disorderly behavior, so fights and accidents during the countdown events are reported almost every year. The most serious accident reported was the Lan Kwai Fong tragedy of 1993. In this accident, 21 people died and 63 people were injured due to a stampede that resulted from overcrowded streets. It is recorded as the worst stampede in Hong Kong’s history. Ever since then, the Hong Kong Police Force, or 香港警務處, have implemented crowd control in all crowded areas to prevent joyous events from turning into tragic disasters.
On New Year’s Eve, most public transportation, or 公共交通工具, offer overnight services, called 通宵服務 in Cantonese. These services allow participants in New Year’s events to return home safely after the celebrations.
Now it’s time to answer our quiz question-
What is the most popular way to send New Year’s messages after the New Year’s Eve countdown in modern-day Hong Kong?
In Hong Kong, most people call or send instant messages to their friends and relatives. Because there is such a heavy demand on phone network services at this time, it‘s no surprise when calls or text messages don’t go through.
Happy New Year!
新年快樂! san1 nin4 faai3 lok6!
2. Must-Know Cantonese Words & Phrases for the New Year!
1- Year
年 nin4
This is pretty self-explanatory. Most countries follow a Gregorian calendar, which has approximately 365 days in a year, while in some cultures, other year designations are also honored. Therefore, New Year’s day in China could fall on a different day than in your country. When do you celebrate New Year?
2- Midnight
午夜 ng5 je6
The point in time when a day ends and a new one starts. Many New Year celebrants prefer to stay awake till midnight, and greet the new annum as it breaks with fanfare and fireworks!
3- New Year’s Day
元旦 jyun4 daan3
In most countries, the new year is celebrated for one whole day. On the Gregorian calendar, this falls on January 1st. On this day, different cultures engage in festive activities, like parties, parades, big meals with families and many more.
4- Party
派對 paai3 deoi3
A party is most people’s favorite way to end the old year, and charge festively into the new one! We celebrate all we accomplished in the old year, and joyfully anticipate what lies ahead.
5- Dancing
跳舞 tiu3 mou5
Usually, when the clock strikes midnight and the New Year officially begins, people break out in dance! It is a jolly way to express a celebratory mood with good expectations for the year ahead. Also, perhaps, that the old year with its problems has finally passed! Dance parties are also a popular way to spend New Year’s Eve in many places.
6- Champagne
香檳 hoeng1 ban1
Originating in France, champagne is a bubbly, alcoholic drink that is often used to toast something or someone during celebrations.
7- Fireworks
煙花 jin1 faa1
These are explosives that cause spectacular effects when ignited. They are popular for announcing the start of the new year with loud noises and colorful displays! In some countries, fireworks are set off to scare away evil spirits. In others, the use of fireworks is forbidden in urban areas due to their harmful effect on pets. Most animals’ hearing is much more sensitive than humans’, so this noisy display can be very frightful and traumatising to them.
8- Countdown
倒數 dou3 sou2
This countdown refers to New Year celebrants counting the seconds, usually backward, till midnight, when New Year starts – a great group activity that doesn’t scare animals, and involves a lot of joyful shouting when the clock strikes midnight!
9- New Year’s Holiday
新年假期 san1 nin4 gaa3 kei4
In many countries, New Year’s Day is a public holiday – to recuperate from the party the previous night, perhaps! Families also like to meet on this day to enjoy a meal and spend time together.
10- Confetti
五彩碎紙 ng5 coi2 seoi3 zi2
In most Western countries, confetti is traditionally associated with weddings, but often it is used as a party decoration. Some prefer to throw it in the air at the strike of midnight on New Year’s Eve.
11- New Year’s Eve
新年前夕 san1 nin4 cin4 zik6
This is the evening before New Year breaks at midnight! Often, friends and family meet for a party or meal the evening before, sometimes engaging in year-end rituals. How are you planning to give your New Year greetings in 2018?
12- Toast
敬酒 ging3 zau2
A toast is a type of group-salutation that involves raising your glass to drink with others in honor of something or someone. A toast to the new year is definitely in order!
13- Resolution
新年大計 san1 nin4 daai6 gai3
Those goals or intentions you hope to, but seldom keep in the new year! Many people consider the start of a new year to be the opportune time for making changes or plans. Resolutions are those intentions to change, or the plans. It’s best to keep your resolutions realistic so as not to disappoint yourself!
14- Parade
巡遊 ceon4 yau4
New Year celebrations are a huge deal in some countries! Parades are held in the streets, often to celebratory music, with colorful costumes and lots of dancing. Parades are like marches, only less formal and way more fun. At CantoneseClass101, you can engage in forums with natives who can tell you what Cantonese New Year celebrations are like!
3. Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions
So, you learned the Cantonese word for ‘resolution’. Fabulous! Resolutions are those goals and intentions that we hope to manifest in the year that lies ahead. The beginning of a new year serves as a good marker in time to formalise these. Some like to do it in writing, others only hold these resolutions in their hearts. Here are our Top 10 New Year’s resolutions at CantoneseClass101 – what are yours?
Learn these phrases and impress your Cantonese friends with your vocabulary.
1- Read more
讀多啲書。 duk6 do1 di1 syu1.
Reading is a fantastic skill that everyone can benefit from. You’re a business person? Apparently, successful business men and women read up to 60 books a year. This probably excludes fiction, so better scan your library or Amazon for the top business reads if you plan to follow in the footsteps of the successful! Otherwise, why not make it your resolution to read more Cantonese in the new year? You will be surprised by how much this will improve your Cantonese language skills!
2- Spend more time with family
陪屋企人多啲。 pui4 uk1 kei2 jan4 do1 di1.
Former US President George Bush’s wife, Barbara Bush, was quoted as having said this: “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, a parent.” This is very true! Relationships are often what gives life meaning, so this is a worthy resolution for any year.
3- Lose weight
減肥。 gaam2 fei4.
Hands up, how many of you made this new year’s resolution last year too…?! This is a notoriously difficult goal to keep, as it takes a lot of self discipline not to eat unhealthily. Good luck with this one, and avoid unhealthy fad diets!
4- Save money
儲錢。 cou5 cin2.
Another common and difficult resolution! However, no one has ever been sorry when they saved towards reaching a goal. Make it your resolution to save money to upgrade your subscription to CantoneseClass101’s Premium PLUS option in the new year – it will be money well spent!
5- Quit smoking
戒煙。 gaai3 jin1.
This is a resolution that you should definitely keep, or your body could punish you severely later! Smoking is a harmful habit with many hazardous effects on your health. Do everything in your power to make this resolution come true in the new year, as your health is your most precious asset.
6- Learn something new
學新嘢。 hok6 san1 je5.
Science has proven that learning new skills can help keep brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s at bay! It can even slow down the progression of the disease. So, keep your brain healthy by learning to speak a new language, studying towards a qualification, learning how to sew, or how to play chess – no matter how old you are, the possibilities are infinite!
7- Drink less
飲少啲酒。 jam2 siu2 di1 zau2.
This is another health resolution that is good to heed any time of the year. Excessive drinking is associated with many diseases, and its effect can be very detrimental to good relationships too. Alcohol is a poison and harmful for the body in large quantities!
8- Exercise regularly
定時運動。 ding6 si4 wan6 dung6.
This resolution goes hand-in-hand with ‘Lose weight’! An inactive body is an unhealthy and often overweight one, so give this resolution priority in the new year.
9- Eat healthy
食得健康啲。 sik6 dak1 gin6 hong1 di1.
If you stick with this resolution, you will lose weight and feel better in general. It is a very worthy goal to have!
Of course! You can only benefit from learning Cantonese, especially with us! Learning how to speak Cantonese can keep your brain healthy, it can widen your circle of friends, and improve your chances to land a dream job anywhere in the world. CantoneseClass101 makes it easy and enjoyable for you to stick to this resolution.
4. Inspirational New Year Quotes
Everyone knows that it is sometimes very hard to stick to resolutions, and not only over New Year. The reasons for this vary from person to person, but all of us need inspiration every now and then! A good way to remain motivated is to keep inspirational quotes near as reminders that it’s up to us to reach our goals.
Make decorative notes of these in Cantonese, and keep them close! Perhaps you could stick them above your bathroom mirror, or on your study’s wall. This way you not only get to read Cantonese incidentally, but also remain inspired to reach your goals! Imagine feeling like giving up on a goal, but reading this quote when you go to the bathroom: “It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” What a positive affirmation!
5. Inspirational Language Learning Quotes
Still undecided whether you should enroll with CantoneseClass101 to learn a new language? There’s no time like the present to decide! Let the following Language Learning Quotes inspire you with their wisdom.
As legendary President Nelson Mandela once said: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” So, learning how to say Happy New Year in Cantonese could well be a way into someone special’s heart for you! Let this year be the one where you to learn how to say Happy New Year, and much more, in Cantonese – it could open many and unexpected doors for you.
6. How To Say Happy New Year in 31 Languages
Here’s a lovely bonus for you! Why stop with Cantonese – learn how to say Happy New Year in 31 other languages too! Watch this video and learn how to pronounce these New Year’s wishes like a native in under two minutes.
7. Why Enrolling with CantoneseClass101 Would Be the Perfect New Year’s Gift to Yourself!
If you are unsure how to celebrate the New Year, why not give yourself a huge gift, and enroll to learn Cantonese! With more than 12 years of experience behind us, we know that CantoneseClass101 would be the perfect fit for you. There are so many reasons for this!
Custom-tailored Learning Paths: Start learning Cantonese at the level that you are. We have numerous Learning Pathways, and we tailor them just for you based on your goals and interests! What a boon!
Marked Progress and Fresh Learning Material Every Week: We make new lessons available every week, with an option to track your progress. Topics are culturally appropriate and useful, such as “Learning how to deliver negative answers politely to a business partner.” Our aim is to equip you with Cantonese that makes sense!
Multiple Learning Tools: Learn in fun, easy ways with resources such 1,000+ video and audio lessons, flashcards, detailed PDF downloads, and mobile apps suitable for multiple devices!
Fast Track Learning Option: If you’re serious about fast-tracking your learning, Premium Plus would be the perfect way to go! Enjoy perks such as personalised lessons with ongoing guidance from your own, native-speaking teacher, and one-on-one learning on your mobile app! You will not be alone in your learning. Weekly assignments with non-stop feedback, answers and corrections will ensure speedy progress.
Fun and Easy: Keeping the lessons fun and easy-to-learn is our aim, so you will stay motivated by your progress!
Do you know any ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Cantonese? CantoneseClass101 brings you easy-to-learn translations and the correct pronunciation of Cantonese Christmas phrases!
Christmas is the annual commemorative festival of Christ’s birth in the Western Christian Church. It takes place on December 25th and is usually celebrated with much food and fanfare! However, not all cultures celebrate Christmas. In some countries, Christmas is not even a public holiday! However, many countries have adapted Christmas and its religious meaning to tally with their own beliefs, or simply in acknowledgment of the festival’s importance to other cultures. If you want to impress native Cantonese speakers with culturally-appropriate Christmas phrases and vocabulary, CantoneseClass101 will teach you the most important ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Cantonese!
Let’s see how Hong Kong people celebrate Christmas!
Now, before we go into more detail, I’ve got a question for you-
Can you guess how much a Christmas dinner usually costs at a hotel in Hong Kong?
If you don’t already know, you’ll find out a bit later, so keep reading!
Hong Kong has a nice Christmas atmosphere, with everyone busy getting ready for all kinds of parties. At these parties, as is typical of Christmas celebrations in most cultures, gifts are exchanged. Exchanging gifts is 交換禮物 in Cantonese. Everyone has to go shopping for gifts beforehand to have something to exchange. All the shops in town have bargain sales, or 減價, to encourage people to buy more than they need to increase profits.
Do you know which places in Hong Kong are most popular and beautifully decorated during the Christmas season? The most popular places are Harbour City, 1881 Heritage, and the Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui; Times Square in Causeway Bay; the Statue Square in Central; and Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island.
Many buildings and skyscrapers next to Victoria Harbour put up Christmas light displays, or 燈飾 in Cantonese. If you want to see the light displays, ride the Star Ferry or 天星小輪 in Cantonese, and see the marvelous night-time scenery on both sides of the harbor.
The biggest difference between Christmas in Hong Kong and in Western countries is the Christmas dinner. Rather than enjoying it at home, most people in Hong Kong eat at restaurants and hotels, or have food catered in. Catering is 到會 in Cantonese. All the restaurants and hotels promote set menus or buffet services with Christmas themes. These meals are called 聖誕大餐. It’s very difficult to get a seat if you don’t make a reservation weeks in advance.
It never snows in Hong Kong, so some shopping malls provide fake snow, fake snowmen, and icy displays to fabricate a Christmas environment to attract customers. Because of the hot weather, there are no outdoor ice-skating rinks in Hong Kong, but you can find several indoor ice rinks. In Cantonese, ice rinks are called 溜冰場. Those who want to enjoy Christmas on ice can visit these spots.
Now it’s time to answer our quiz question-
Do you know how much a Christmas dinner usually costs at a hotel in Hong Kong?
The average cost for Christmas dinner at a hotel in Hong Kong is 650 Hong Kong dollars per person, which is roughly 85 US Dollars.
2. Holiday Greetings and Wishes for the Holiday Season
1- Merry Christmas!
聖誕快樂! sing3 daan3 faai3 lok6!
Do you know how to say ‘Merry Christmas’ in Cantonese? Learn here how to pronounce it perfectly! ‘Merry’ means to be joyful, to celebrate and generally be in good spirits. So, with this phrase you are wishing someone a joyful, celebratory remembrance of Christ’s birth!
2- Happy Kwanzaa!
寬扎節快樂! fun1 zaat3 zit3 faai3 lok6!
Surprise your African-American, or West African native friends with this phrase over the Christmas holidays! Kwanzaa is a seven-day, non-religious celebration, starting on Dec 26th each year. It has its roots in African American modern history, and many people celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas!
3- Have a happy New Year!
新年快樂! san1 nin4 faai3 lok6!
In countries where Christmas is not officially celebrated, but a Gregorian calendar is observed, this would be a friendly festive-season wish over New Year.
4- Happy Hanukkah!
光明節快樂! gwong1 ming4 zit3 faai3 lok6!
Hanukkah is the beautiful Hebrew festival over November or December each year. It is also called the ‘Festival of Lights’ and is celebrated to commemorate the Jewish freedom of religion.
This is a good phrase to keep handy if someone doesn’t observe any religious festival over the Christmas holidays! However, this will only be applicable in the Northern hemisphere, where it is winter over Christmas.
6- See you next year!
下年見! haa6 nin2 gin3!
Going away on holiday over Christmas season, or saying goodbye to someone about to leave on vacation? This would be a good way to say goodbye to your friends and family.
7- Warm wishes!
溫馨嘅祝福! 溫馨嘅祝福! wan1 hing1 ge3 zuk1 fuk1!
An informal, friendly phrase to write in Cantonese Christmas cards, especially for secular friends who prefer to observe Christmas celebrations without the religious symbolism. It conveys the warmth of friendship and friendly wishes associated with this time of year.
8- Happy holidays!
假期愉快! gaa3 kei4 jyu6 faai3!
If you forget how to say ‘Merry Christmas!’ in Cantonese, this is a safe, generic phrase to use instead.
9- Enjoy the holidays!
享受你嘅假期! hoeng2 sau6 nei5 ge3 gaa3 kei4!
After saying ‘Merry Christmas’ in Cantonese, this would be a good phrase with which to wish Christmas holiday-goers well! It is also good to use for secular friends who don’t celebrate Christmas but take a holiday at this time of the year.
This is another way of wishing someone well in the New Year if they observe a Gregorian calendar. New Year’s day would then fall on January 1st.
3. Must-Know Christmas Day Vocabulary
Christmas is associated with many traditions and religious symbols in multiple countries across the world. It originated centuries ago in the West with the birth of Christianity, and the celebrations are often embedded with rich cultural significance. So, by now you know how to say Merry Christmas in Cantonese! Next, learn pertinent vocabulary and phrases pertaining to Christmas, as well as how to pronounce them correctly. At CantoneseClass101, we make sure you sound like a native speaker!
1- Christmas
聖誕節 sing3 daan3 zit3
This is the Cantonese word for ‘Christmas’. Most happy Christmas wishes in Cantonese will include this word!
2- Snow
雪 syut3
In most Northern-hemisphere countries, Christmas is synonymous with snow, and for Christmas, the snowman is often dressed as Santa Claus.
3- Snowflake
雪花 syut3 faa1
Snowflakes collectively make up snow. A single snowflake is small, white, light like a feather and icy cold! When put under a microscope, the snowflake reveals itself to have the most beautiful, symmetrical patterns. These patterns have become popular Christmas decorations, especially in Western countries.
4- Snowman
雪人 (n) syut3 jan4
As you guessed – a snowman is only possible to build if it is snowing! What a fun way to spend Christmas day outside.
5- Turkey
火雞 fo2 gai1
Roast turkey is the traditional main dish on thousands of lunch tables on Christmas day, mainly in Western countries. What is your favorite Christmas dish?
6- Wreath
花圈 faa1 hyun1
Another traditional Western decoration for Christmas, the wreath is an arrangement of flowers, leaves, or stems fastened in a ring. Many families like to hang a Christmas wreath outside on their houses’ front doors.
7- Reindeer
紅鼻馴鹿魯道夫 hung4 bei6 seon4 luk2 lou5 dou6 fu1
Reindeer are the animals commonly fabled to pull Santa Claus’ sled across the sky! Western Christmas folklore tells of Father Christmas or Santa Claus doing the rounds with his sled, carrying Christmas presents for children, and dropping them into houses through the chimney. But who is Santa Claus?
8- Santa Claus
聖誕老人 sing3 daan3 lou5 jan4
Santa Claus is a legendary and jolly figure originating in the Western Christian culture. He is known by many names, but is traditionally depicted as a rotund man wearing a red costume with a pointy hat, and sporting a long, snow-white beard!
9- Elf
小精靈 siu2 zing1 ling4
An elf is a supernatural creature of folklore with pointy ears, a dainty, humanoid body and a capricious nature. Elves are said to help Santa Claus distribute presents to children over Christmas!
10- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
紅鼻馴鹿魯道夫 hung4 bei6 seon4 luk2 lou5 dou6 fu1
‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ is a Christmas song based on an American children’s story book with the same name. Rudolph is one of Santa’s reindeer. The song became more famous than the book, and can still be heard playing in many shopping malls over Christmas time across the globe!
11- North Pole
北極 bak1 gik6
The cold North Pole is where Santa Claus is reputed to live with his reindeer!
12- Sled
雪橇 syut3 hiu1
A sled is a non-motorised land vehicle used to travel over snow in countries where it snows a lot, and is usually pulled by animals such as horses, dogs or reindeer. This one obviously refers to Santa’s sled! Another word for sled is sleigh or sledge.
13- Present
禮物 lai5 mat6
Gift or present giving is synonymous with Christmas Eve and the greatest source of joy for children over this festive time! This tradition signifies that Christ’s birth was a gift to mankind, but not all people who hand out presents over Christmas observe the religious meaning.
14- Bell
鐘 zung1
On Christmas Day, or Christmas Eve, many religious celebrants enjoy going to church for a special sermon and Christmas rituals. The start of the sermon is often announced with bells or a bell, if the church has one. For this reason, the sound of ringing bells is often associated with Christmas Day.
15- Chimney
煙通 jin1 tung1
The chimney is the entrance Santa Claus uses to deliver children’s presents on Christmas Day, according to folklore! Wonder how the chubby man and his elves stay clean…?!
16- Fireplace
火爐 fo2 lou4
In most countries where it snows, Christmas is synonymous with a fire or burning embers in houses’ fireplaces. Families huddle around its warmth while opening Christmas presents. Also, this is where Santa Claus is reputed to pop out after his journey down the chimney!
17- Christmas Day
聖誕日 sing3 daan3 jat6
This is the official day of commemorative celebration of Christ’s birth, and falls each year on December 25.
18- Decoration
裝飾 zong1 sik1
Decorations are the colourful trinkets and posters that make their appearance in shops and homes during the Christmas holiday season in many countries! They give the places a celebratory atmosphere in anticipation of the big Christmas celebration. Typical Christmas decorations include colorful photographs and posters, strings of lights, figurines of Santa Claus and the nativity scene, poinsettia flowers, snowflakes and many more.
19- Stocking
聖誕襪 sing3 daan3 mat6
According to legend, Santa Claus places children’s presents in a red stocking hanging over the fireplace. This has also become a popular decoration, signifying Christmas.
20- Holly
冬青 dung1 cing1
Holly is a shrub native to the UK, and parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. It is characterised by glossy, spiny-toothed leaves, small, whitish flowers, and red berries. Ironically, its significance for Christmas relates to Christ’s crucifixion and suffering rather than his birth. However, the leaves’ distinctive shape and image have become popular Christmas decorations.
21- Gingerbread house
姜餅屋 goeng1 beng2 uk1
According to legend, the gingerbread house synonymous with Christmas is related to Christ’s birth place, Bethlehem. Bethlehem literally means ‘House of Bread’. Over centuries, it has become a popular treat over Christmas time in many non-religious households as well.
22- Candy cane
士的糖 si6 dik1 tong2
According to folklore, Christmas candy canes made their appearance first in Germany in the 16th century. A choir master gave children the candy canes to suck on in church in order to keep them quiet during the Christmas sermon! Apparently, the candy is shaped like a cane in remembrance of the shepherds who were the first to visit the baby Jesus. Today, like gingerbread houses, they are still a popular sweet over the festive season!
23- Mistletoe
槲寄生 huk6 gei3 sang1
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on certain trees. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the mistletoe has magical powers, and could protect a household from evil if hung above a door during December. The belief didn’t last but the habit did, and the mistletoe is another popular Christmas decoration!
4. Twelve Days of Christmas
Wow, you’re doing extremely well! You know how to wish someone a Merry Christmas in Cantonese, and you learned pertinent vocabulary too! The Twelve Days of Christmas is not very well known in modern times, so, you’re on your way to becoming an expert in Christmas traditions and rituals. Well done!
The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a traditional festive period of 12 days dedicated to celebrate the nativity of Christ. Christmas Day is, for many who observe Twelvetide, the first day of this period.
‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ is also a popular Christmas song about a series of gifts given on each day of Twelvetide. According to experts, these gifts were created as a coded reference to important symbols in the Christian church. Here is a list of those gifts mentioned in the song! Do you recognise them?
5. Top 10 Christmas Characters in American Culture
This is fantastic, you know how to explain almost everything about Christmas in Cantonese! However, do you know the most popular Christmas characters in American culture? Your knowledge will not be complete without this list.
6. CantoneseClass101 Is One Of The Best Online Language Schools Available!
We don’t just say this – we can prove it! Geared to your personal needs and goals, we have several learning paths from which to choose. From Cantonese for Absolute Beginners to Advanced Cantonese, lessons are designed to meet you where you are, and increase your language abilities in fun, easy and interactive lessons! Mastering a new language has never been this easy or enjoyable.
We have over a decade of experience and research behind us, and it shows! With thousands of audio and video lessons, detailed PDF lessons and notes, as well as friendly, knowledgeable hosts, CantoneseClass101 is simply unbeatable when it comes to learning correct Cantonese. Plenty of tools and resources are available when you study with us. New lessons are added every week so material remains fresh and relevant. You also have the option to upgrade and enjoy even more personalised guidance and services. This is a sure way to fast-track your learning!
So, this Christmas, why don’t you give yourself a present and enroll in CantoneseClass101? Or give an enrollment as a present to a loved one. It will be a gift with benefits for a whole lifetime, not just over Christmas!
Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Cantonese
Going through Cantonese lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of Cantonese, but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in Cantonese. This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons.
We naturally translate in our heads because it’s viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you’re learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object the connection will not be nearly as strong. When you bypass the original translation between Cantonese and your native language then there is a more basic and strong connection between just the Cantonese vocabulary word and the tangible object.
In this blog post, you will learn the 4 important techniques to easily and naturally begin to speculate about the daily occurrences in your life. The best part is all of these techniques are supported and can be achieved through CantoneseClass101.com.
Create Your Free Lifetime Account and Start Learning the whole Cantonese Language from the Beginning!
1. Surround yourself with Cantonese
By surrounding yourself with Cantonese constantly you will completely immerse yourself in the language. Without realizing it you’ll be learning pronunciation, sentence structures, grammar, and new vocabulary. You can play music in the background while you’re cooking or have a Cantonese radio station on while you study. Immersion is a key factor with this learning process because it is one of the easiest things to do, but very effective. Even if you are not giving the program your full attention you will be learning.
One great feature of CantoneseClass101.com is the endless podcasts that are available to you. You can even download and listen to them on the go. These podcasts are interesting and are perfect for the intention of immersion, they are easy to listen to as background noise and are interesting enough to give your full attention. Many of them contain stories that you follow as you go through the lessons which push you to keep going.
2. Learn through observation
Learning through observation is the most natural way to learn. Observation is how we all learned our native languages as infants and it’s a wonder why we stop learning this way. If you have patience and learn through observation then Cantonese words will have their own meanings rather than meanings in reference to your native language. Ideally, you should skip the bilingual dictionary and just buy a dictionary in Cantonese.
CantoneseClass101.com also offers the materials to learn this way. We have numerous video lessons which present situational usage of each word or phrase instead of just a direct translation. This holds true for many of our videos and how we teach Cantonese.
3. Speak out loud to yourself
Speaking to yourself in Cantonese not only gets you in the mindset of Cantonese, but also makes you listen to how you speak. It forces you to correct any errors with pronunciation and makes it easy to spot grammar mistakes. When you speak out loud talk about what you did that day and what you plan to do the next day. Your goal is to be the most comfortable speaking out loud and to easily create sentences. Once you feel comfortable talking to yourself start consciously thinking in your head about your daily activities and what is going on around you throughout the day.
With CantoneseClass101.com you start speaking right away, not only this, but they have you repeat words and conversations after a native Cantonese speaker. This makes your pronunciation very accurate! With this help, you are on the fast path to making clear and complex sentences and then actively thinking about your day.
4. Practice daily
If you don’t practice daily then your progress will be greatly slowed. Many people are tempted to take the 20-30 minutes they should be practicing a day and practice 120 in one day and skip the other days. This isn’t nearly as effective because everyday you practice you are reinforcing the skills and knowledge you have learned. If you practice all in one day you don’t retain the information because the brain can realistically only focus for 30 minutes at most. If you’re studying for 120 minutes on the same subject little of the information will be absorbed. Studying everyday allows you to review material that you went over previous days and absorb a small amount of information at a time.
It’s tough to find motivation to study everyday, but CantoneseClass101.com can help. It’s easy to stay motivated with CantoneseClass101.com because we give you a set learning path, with this path we show how much progress you’ve made. This makes you stick to your goals and keep going!
Conclusion
Following the steps and having patience is the hardest part to achieving your goals, it’s not easy learning a new language. You are essentially teaching your brain to categorize the world in a completely new way. Stick with it and you can do it just remember the 4 tools I taught you today! With them, conversations, reading, and understanding will become much easier. The most important thing to remember is to use the tools that CantoneseClass101.com provides and you will be on your way to being fluent!