Cantonese Vocabulary

The Cantonese vocabulary is the backbone for learning. Below we picked 70% of the most commonly used words. Therefore memorizing them will give you a 70% boost in the language. This is the smarter way of online learning. Learn only what you need. We start with commonly used numbers.

One: 一  [jat1]	Two: 二  [ji6 ]
Three: 三  [saam1]	Four: 四  [sei3  ]
Five: 五  [ng5]	Six: 六  [luk6]
Seven: 七  [cat1 ]	Eight: 八  [baat3 ]
Nine: 九  [gau2  ]	Ten: 十  [sap6  ]
First: 第一  [dai6 jat1 ]	Second: 第二  [dai6 ji6]

Time Expressions

Days of the week and time expressions:

Monday: 星期一  [seng1 gei1 jat1]	Tuesday: 星期二  [seng1 gei1 ji6  ]
Wednesday: 星期三  [seng1 gei1 saam1]	Thursday: 星期四  [seng1 gei1 sei3]
Friday: 星期五  [seng1 gei1 ng5  ]	Saturday: 星期六  [seng1 gei1 luk6]
Sunday: 星期日  [seng1 gei1 jat6  ]	Now: 現在  [jin6 zoi6  ]
Yesterday: 昨天  [zok3 tin1]	Today: 今天  [gam1 tin1]
Tonight: 今晚  [gam1 maan5  ]	Tomorrow: 明天  [ming4 tin1]

Most popular fruits and vegetables:

Fruits: 生果  [saang1 gu2]	Apples: 蘋果  [pan4 gu2 ]
Bananas: 香蕉  [hoeng1 ziu1 ]	Tomatoes: 蕃茄  [faan4 gaa1]
Potatoes: 薯仔  [syu4 zai2  ]	Onions: 洋葱  [joeng4 cung1]

Red: 紅色  [gung1 sik1]	Green: 綠色  [luk6 sik1]
Blue: 藍色  [laam4 sik1]	White: 白色  [baak6 sik1]
Black: 黑色  [haak1 sik1]	Grey: 灰色  [fui1 sik1]

Some words related to food:

Breakfast: 早餐  [zou2 caan1]	Lunch: 午餐  [ng5 caan1 ]
Dinner: 晚餐  [maan5 caan1  ]	Milk: 牛奶  [ngau4 naai1]
Coffee: 咖啡  [gaa1 fe1]	Bread: 麵包  [min6 baau1  ]

Weather terms and sensations:

Sunny: 天晴  [tin1 ceng4]	Windy: 有風  [jau5 fung1]
Rainy: 正在下雨  [zeng3 zoi6 haa5 jyu5]	Snowy: 正在下雪  [zeng3 zoi6 haa5 syut3]
Cold: 冷  [laang5  ]	Hot: 熱  [jit6]

Words related to family and relatives:

Boy: 男孩  [naam4 haai4 ]	Girl: 女孩  [jyu5 haai4 ]
Son: 兒子  [ji4 zi2]	Daughter: 女兒  [jyu5 ji4  ]
Brother: 兄弟  [hing1 dai6  ]	Sister: 姐姊妹  [ze2 mui6 ]
Man: 男人  [naam4 jan4]	Woman: 女人  [jyu5 jan4 ]
Father: 爸爸  [baa1 baa1 ]	Mother: 媽媽  [maa1 maa1 ]
Grandfather: 祖父, 外祖父  [zou2 fu2 ngoi6 zou2 fu2]	Grandmother: 祖母, 外祖母  [zou2 mou5 ngoi6 zou2 mou5]

Locations in the house which are talked about more during the day:

House: 屋  [nguk1]	Toilet: 廁所  [cak1 so2 ]
Room: 房間  [fong2 gaan1 ]	Bedroom: 睡房  [seoi6 fong2 ]
Kitchen: 廚房  [ceoi4 fong2 ]	Table: 桌  [coek3 ]

Animals and pets popular to everyone:

Cat: 貓  [maau1  ]	Dog: 狗  [gau2 ]
Mouse: 老鼠  [lou5 syu2]	Bird: 鳥  [niu5]
Cow: 牛  [ngau4  ]	Horse: 馬  [maa5 ]

The clothes most worn by most people:

Socks: 襪子  [maat6 zi2  ]	Shoes: 鞋  [haai4  ]
Trousers: 褲  [fu3  ]	Shirt: 恤衫  [seot1 saam1]
Sweater: 汗衫  [hon4 saam1]	Coat: 外套  [ngoi6 tou3  ]

Most popular languages in the world:

English: 英文  [jing1 man4  ]	French: 法文  [faat3 man4]
German: 徳文  [dak1 man4 ]	Spanish: 西班牙文  [sai1 baan1 ngaa4 man4  ]
Italian: 意大利文  [ji3 daai6 lei6 man4]	Portuguese: 葡萄牙文  [pou4 tou4 ngaa4 man4]
Greek: 希臘語  [hei1 laap6 jyu5  ]	Russian: 俄語  [ngo4 jyu5]
Arabic: 阿拉伯語  [aa2 laa1 baa3 jyu5  ]	Hindi: 印度語  [jan3 dok6 jyu5]
Chinese: 中文  [zung1 man4  ]	Japanese: 日文  [jat6 man4 ]

Travel Vocabulary

Most popular terms when traveling:

Taxi: 的士  [di1 si6 ]	Bus: 巴士  [baa1 si6]
Hotel: 酒店  [zau2 dim3 ]	Reservation: 訂位  [deng6 wai2 ]
Airport: 機場  [gei1 coeng4]	Passport: 旅行證件  [leoi5 haang4 zing3 gin6 ]

Words you can use in class or talking about school:

Student: 學生  [hok6 saang1 ]	Teacher: 老師  [lou5 si1 ]
Pen: 筆  [bat1 ]	Books:   []
Page: 頁  [jip6 ]	Dictionary: 字典  [zi6 din2 ]

Body parts which are talked about more often:

Hand: 手  [sau2  ]	Feet: 腳  [goek3  ]
Hair: 頭髮  [tau4 faat3  ]	Eye: 眼睛  [ngaan5 zing1  ]
Mouth: 口  [hau2]	Nose: 鼻  [bei6  ]

Emergency vocabulary to ask for help or offer help when needed:

Ambulance: 救護車  [gau3 wu6 ce1 ]	Doctor: 醫生  [ji1 saang1]
Hospital: 醫院  [ji1 jyun2 ]	Pharmacy: 藥房  [joek6 fong2 ]
Police: 警察  [ging2 caat3]	Stomach Ache: 胃痛  [wai6 tung3 ]

As you can see, this Cantonese vocabulary is something you will need every day. You can use our Vocabulary Trainer to help you memorize these words.