Learn common Cantonese greetings and farewells
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| 早唞。 (zou2 tau2.) |
| 再見。 (zoi3 gin3.) |
| 早晨。 (zou2 san4.) |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn basic Cantonese greetings that all beginners must know. |
| Before we start, did you know that in Cantonese-speaking regions, asking "Have you eaten?" can be a way to say hello? Can you guess why? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| 你好。 (nei5 hou2.) |
| "Hello." |
| [SLOW] 你好。 (nei5 hou2.) |
| 你好。 (nei5 hou2.) |
| “In Mandarin, people often say 你好 (nǐ hǎo), but here in Hong Kong, we speak Cantonese, not Mandarin! Sometimes, when people greet us with 你好, we might feel a little annoyed because it shows a lack of understanding of the difference between Mandarin and Cantonese. It’s like greeting a French person with ‘Hola!’ instead of ‘Bonjour!’ So, a more local greeting in Cantonese would be 哈佬（hello）—much more friendly and casual!” |
| Jack greets Steve at a networking event. |
| Jack: 哈囉，你今日點呀？ (haa1 lo1, nei5 gam1 jat6 dim2 aa3?) |
| Steve: 我好好，多謝！你呢？ (ngo5 hou2 hou2, do1 ze6! nei5 ne1?) |
| 早唞。 (zou2 tau2.) |
| "Goodnight." |
| [SLOW] 早唞。 (zou2 tau2.) |
| 早唞。 (zou2 tau2.) |
| “This is a classic Hong Kong phrase—早唞 (zou2 tau2)! It literally means ‘rest early’ and is used to wish someone a good night. But fun fact—this is very Hong Kong-style slang, and you won’t hear it much in Mandarin. Next time you text your Hong Kong friend at night, try saying 早唞 instead of just ‘good night’!” |
| Steve and Tom say goodnight after watching a movie. |
| Steve: 瞓覺之前，我朋友成日講:「早唞，婆婆。」 (fan3 gaau3 zi1 cin4, ngo5 pang4 jau5 seng4 jat6 gong2,「 zou2 tau2, po4 po2.」) |
| Tom: 咁真係好窩心。 (gam2 zan1 hai6 hou2 wo1 sam1.) |
| 早晨。 (zou2 san4.) |
| "Good morning." |
| [SLOW] 早晨。 (zou2 san4.) |
| 早晨。 (zou2 san4.) |
| “Hong Kong people love saying 早晨 (zou2 san4) for ‘good morning.’ But did you know this phrase became popular because of Hong Kong radio shows? Every morning, DJs would greet the city with 早晨,香港!—‘Good morning, Hong Kong!’ It’s now a part of everyday speech!” |
| Taylor greets her friends before heading out on a hiking trip. |
| Taylor: 大家早晨。 (daai6 gaa1 zou2 san4.) |
| Tom: 早晨！好開心見到你。 (zou2 san4! hou2 hoi1 sam1 gin3 dou2 nei5.) |
| 好高興認識你。 (hou2 gou1 hing3 jing6 sik1 nei5.) |
| "Nice to meet you." |
| [SLOW] 好高興認識你。 (hou2 gou1 hing3 jing6 sik1 nei5.) |
| 好高興認識你。 (hou2 gou1 hing3 jing6 sik1 nei5.) |
| “In Cantonese, we don’t really say 好高興認識你 (I’m very happy to meet you). Instead, we say 好開心見到你 (I’m happy to see you). It’s because in our culture, we tend to express emotions more subtly. Saying ‘I’m happy to meet you’ feels more casual and natural, while ‘I’m very happy to get to know you’ can sound a bit too formal or overly emotional for a simple greeting!” |
| Helen greets a new student. |
| Helen: 請入嚟，好高興認識你。 (cing2 jap6 lai4, hou2 gou1 hing3 jing6 sik1 nei5.) |
| Gabriel: 多謝，我都好高興認識你。 (do1 ze6, ngo5 dou1 hou2 gou1 hing3 jing6 sik1 nei5.) |
| 你好嗎？ (nei5 hou2 maa3?) |
| "How are you?" |
| [SLOW] 你好嗎？ (nei5 hou2 maa3?) |
| 你好嗎？ (nei5 hou2 maa3?) |
| “In Mandarin, you often hear 你好嗎 (nǐ hǎo ma), but in Hong Kong, it’s not that common. Instead, people might say 最近點呀？(zeoi3 gan6 dim2 aa3?)—‘How have you been lately?’ or even simply ‘食咗飯未呀？’ Again, we just love checking on your stomach!” |
| Steve greets Tom at a party. |
| Steve: 喺呢度見到你真好！你好嗎，湯姆？ (hai2 ni1 dou6 gin3 dou2 nei5 zan1 hou2! nei5 hou2 maa3, tong1 mou5?) |
| Tom: 我好好，多謝！咁你呢？ (ngo5 hou2 hou2, do1 ze6! gam2 nei5 ne1?) |
| 再見。 (zoi3 gin3.) |
| "Goodbye." |
| [SLOW] 再見。 (zoi3 gin3.) |
| 再見。 (zoi3 gin3.) |
| “再見 (zoi3 gin3) is the standard ‘goodbye,’ but in daily life, Hong Kong people have way more fun ways to say it! You might hear people say 拜拜 (baai1 baai3), or even 潮語 like 88 (baat3 baat3) in text messages. Some people even say 下次見 (haa6 ci3 gin3) meaning ‘See you next time!’” |
| Jack says goodbye after meeting with Steve. |
| Jack: 拜拜，遲啲見！ (baai1 baai3, ci4 di1 gin3!) |
| Steve: 當然。保重！ (dong1 jin4. bou2 zung6!) |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Cantonese. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "Hello."? |
| 你好。 (nei5 hou2.) |
| 你好。 (nei5 hou2.) |
| And how to say "Goodnight."? |
| 早唞。 (zou2 tau2.) |
| 早唞。 (zou2 tau2.) |
| How about "Good morning."? |
| 早晨。 (zou2 san4.) |
| 早晨。 (zou2 san4.) |
| Do you remember how to say "Nice to meet you."? |
| 好高興認識你。 (hou2 gou1 hing3 jing6 sik1 nei5.) |
| 好高興認識你。 (hou2 gou1 hing3 jing6 sik1 nei5.) |
| And how to say "How are you?"? |
| 你好嗎？ (nei5 hou2 maa3?) |
| 你好嗎？ (nei5 hou2 maa3?) |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "Goodbye."? |
| 再見。 (zoi3 gin3.) |
| 再見。 (zoi3 gin3.) |
| Did you know that in Cantonese-speaking regions, asking "Have you eaten?" can be a way to say hello? Can you guess why? |
| In Cantonese culture, people often greet each other by asking, 你食咗飯未？ (nei5 sik6 zo2 faan6 mei6?), which means "Have you eaten yet?" This question is a warm way to say hi, especially around meal times. It shows you care and highlights how important food is in Cantonese culture. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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