Basic Greetings and Expressions in Cantonese

In Brief

For a simple hello, use 你好 nei5 hou2. Cantonese has two everyday ways to say “thank you”: 多謝 do1 ze6 for a gift, favour, or compliment, and 唔該 m4 goi1 for help or a service. Learn each expression together with its situation rather than looking for one English phrase that covers every use.

Overview

Greetings are among the first things you learn at A1, but natural Cantonese interaction is not built from direct English translations. English uses “thank you” in many situations; Cantonese normally chooses between 多謝 and 唔該. English speakers also ask “How are you?” almost automatically, whereas Cantonese speakers often use a shorter greeting, ask about the immediate situation, or simply begin the conversation.

This article uses traditional Chinese characters and Jyutping, a romanization system (a way of writing pronunciation with the Latin alphabet). The number after each Jyutping syllable marks one of the six Cantonese tones. Tones distinguish words, so goi1 should not be learned as merely goi. At first, copy the whole sound and rhythm of each phrase; tone-by-tone accuracy will improve with listening and repetition.

These expressions work across ordinary encounters: entering a shop, receiving a present, asking someone to move, answering the phone, apologizing, and leaving for the night. Some textbook forms are correct but less common than conversational alternatives, so the notes below distinguish a safe beginner expression from the form you are most likely to hear.

How It Works

Meeting and greeting

Cantonese greetings are usually fixed expressions rather than sentences that need conjugating. A register is the level of formality or social tone of an expression. 你好 is polite and broadly understood, but it can sound more deliberate than casual English “hi.” Friends who already know one another may greet each other with a name, 喂 wai3 (“hey”), a question about what is happening, or no greeting formula at all.

Expression	Jyutping	Basic meaning	Typical use
你好	nei5 hou2	Hello	Safe general greeting; especially useful on first meeting or in service encounters
早晨	zou2 san4	Good morning	Normal morning greeting
喂	wai2 / wai3	Hello? / Hey!	wai2 when answering a phone; wai3 to call someone’s attention
你點呀？	nei5 dim2 aa3?	How are things?	Casual check-in with someone you know
最近點呀？	zeoi3 gan6 dim2 aa3?	How have you been lately?	When you have not spoken for a while
好耐冇見	hou2 noi6 mou5 gin3	Long time no see	Greeting someone after a long interval

The final 呀 aa3 is a sentence-final particle—a short word at the end that helps show the speaker’s attitude or the type of utterance. Here it makes a question sound conversational. It does not have a separate English translation.

A useful beginner exchange is:

• A: 你好！ nei5 hou2! — Hello!
• B: 你好！ nei5 hou2! — Hello!

Do not feel obliged to add a literal version of “How are you?” 你好嗎？ nei5 hou2 maa3? is understandable, but it strongly resembles Mandarin 你好吗? and is not the usual everyday Cantonese choice. 你點呀？ or 最近點呀？ is more conversational when a real check-in is intended.

Two kinds of “thank you”

The most important practical distinction in this topic is between 多謝 and 唔該.

Situation	Use	Examples
Someone gives you something, does you a personal favour, praises you, or offers substantial support	多謝 do1 ze6	a present, a meal someone treats you to, a compliment, special help
Someone performs a service or small practical action	唔該 m4 goi1	a server brings tea, someone opens a door, a driver stops for you
You make a polite request or get someone’s attention	唔該 m4 goi1	“Excuse me,” “please,” or “could you…” before the request

The boundary is based on how the interaction is understood, not on the monetary value of an object. If a friend gives you a book as a present, say 多謝. If a shop assistant hands you the book you have just bought, 唔該 is natural because the action is part of a service.

Both can be expanded:

• 多謝你 do1 ze6 nei5 — Thank you.
• 真係好多謝你 zan1 hai6 hou2 do1 ze6 nei5 — Thank you very much; I really appreciate it.
• 唔該晒 m4 goi1 saai3 — Thanks a lot.
• 唔該你 m4 goi1 nei5 — Please / could I ask you to… (often followed by a request).

Here 晒 saai3 adds a sense of completeness and strengthens the thanks. It is common in speech.

Getting attention, apologizing, and responding

English “excuse me” covers several jobs. Cantonese chooses according to purpose:

Purpose	Expression	Meaning and force
Begin a request; call service staff politely	唔該 m4 goi1	Excuse me / please
Pass through, interrupt, or acknowledge a minor inconvenience	唔好意思 m4 hou2 ji3 si1	Excuse me / sorry; literally signals embarrassment
Accept responsibility for a real mistake or hurt	對唔住 deoi3 m4 zyu6	I’m sorry; a more direct apology
Respond to thanks or an apology	唔使客氣 m4 sai2 haak3 hei3	You’re welcome; no need to be polite
Respond to a minor apology	唔緊要 m4 gan2 jiu3	It doesn’t matter / no problem

For a small accidental bump, 唔好意思 is often enough. If you broke someone’s property, missed an important commitment, or caused genuine trouble, 對唔住 is more appropriate. Adding 呀 aa3 can soften either expression in conversation, but it does not replace a sincere tone or an explanation when the mistake is serious.

Leaving and saying good night

再見 zoi3 gin3 is the standard “goodbye” and is always understandable. In relaxed Hong Kong Cantonese, 拜拜 baai1 baai3 is extremely common. When someone is going to bed, use 早唞 zou2 tau2, not a word-for-word translation based on “night.”

Expression	Jyutping	Use
再見	zoi3 gin3	Standard goodbye
拜拜	baai1 baai3	Casual bye
聽日見	ting1 jat6 gin3	See you tomorrow
遲啲見	ci4 di1 gin3	See you later
下次見	haa6 ci3 gin3	See you next time
早唞	zou2 tau2	Good night, especially when going to bed
慢慢行	maan6 maan6 haang4	Take care on your way; said to someone leaving

Examples in Context

Cantonese	Jyutping	English	Note
你好，我叫阿美。	nei5 hou2, ngo5 giu3 Aa3 Mei5.	Hello, my name is Ah Mei.	A polite first introduction
早晨！今日好早喎。	zou2 san4! gam1 jat6 hou2 zou2 wo3.	Good morning! You’re early today.	Morning greeting
喂，邊位呀？	wai2, bin1 wai2 aa3?	Hello, who is calling?	Answering the phone
最近點呀？	zeoi3 gan6 dim2 aa3?	How have you been lately?	A genuine casual check-in
好耐冇見，你幾好嗎？	hou2 noi6 mou5 gin3, nei5 gei2 hou2 maa3?	Long time no see. Have you been well?	Greeting after a long absence
多謝你份生日禮物。	do1 ze6 nei5 fan6 saang1 jat6 lai5 mat6.	Thank you for your birthday present.	Use 多謝 for a gift
你特登嚟幫我，真係好多謝你。	nei5 dak6 dang1 lai4 bong1 ngo5, zan1 hai6 hou2 do1 ze6 nei5.	You came especially to help me; I really appreciate it.	A personal favour
唔該晒。	m4 goi1 saai3.	Thanks a lot.	A service or practical action
唔該，俾杯水我。	m4 goi1, bei2 bui1 seoi2 ngo5.	Excuse me, please give me a glass of water.	Polite request
唔好意思，借借。	m4 hou2 ji3 si1, ze3 ze3.	Excuse me, let me pass.	Moving through a crowd
對唔住，我遲到。	deoi3 m4 zyu6, ngo5 ci4 dou3.	I’m sorry I’m late.	Taking responsibility
唔緊要，下次早啲啦。	m4 gan2 jiu3, haa6 ci3 zou2 di1 laa1.	It’s okay; come a little earlier next time.	Response to an apology
我走先喇，聽日見。	ngo5 zau2 sin1 laa3, ting1 jat6 gin3.	I’m heading off now. See you tomorrow.	Natural departure
拜拜，下次見！	baai1 baai3, haa6 ci3 gin3!	Bye, see you next time!	Casual farewell
夜喇，早唞。	je6 laa3, zou2 tau2.	It’s late. Good night.	Said before bed or at a late departure

Common Mistakes

Using 多謝 for every kind of thanks

• Less natural: 多謝。 after a server refills your tea
• Natural: 唔該。 m4 goi1
• Why: Refilling the tea is a service or practical action. Save 多謝 for gifts, favours, compliments, and support that you frame as personally given.

Saying 唔該 for a present

• Less natural: 唔該你份禮物。
• Natural: 多謝你份禮物。 do1 ze6 nei5 fan6 lai5 mat6
• Why: The present is a gift, so 多謝 is the expected form.

Translating “How are you?” word for word

• Awkward in ordinary Cantonese: 你好嗎？ nei5 hou2 maa3?
• More natural: 你點呀？ nei5 dim2 aa3? or 最近點呀？ zeoi3 gan6 dim2 aa3?
• Why: 你好嗎？ is understandable but often sounds Mandarin-influenced or textbook-like. Cantonese speakers usually ask a more specific conversational question.

Using 唔該 for every apology

• Wrong for a serious mistake: 唔該，我整爛咗你部電腦。
• Right: 對唔住，我整爛咗你部電腦。 deoi3 m4 zyu6, ngo5 zing2 laan6 zo2 nei5 bou6 din6 nou5
• Why: 唔該 introduces requests or thanks someone for service; it does not accept responsibility for serious harm. Use 對唔住.

Ignoring tone numbers

• Incomplete habit: learning m goi or do ze without tones
• Better: learn m4 goi1 and do1 ze6 as complete sound patterns
• Why: Tone is part of a Cantonese syllable, not optional decoration. An approximate consonant and vowel sequence may be difficult to understand without the expected pitch.

Usage Notes

你好 is safe, courteous, and useful, particularly with someone new. It is not, however, a required opener in every casual encounter. Among friends, jumping directly to 去邊呀？ heoi3 bin1 aa3? (“Where are you going?”) or 食咗飯未呀？ sik6 zo2 faan6 mei6 aa3? (“Have you eaten yet?”) can function as friendly social contact. Such questions are often genuine but may also work like light small talk; answer simply according to the situation.

Cantonese politeness often comes through word choice, sentence-final particles, voice, and context rather than one all-purpose equivalent of English “please.” 唔該 before a request is useful, but a bare command can still sound abrupt. A gentle tone and an appropriate particle such as 呀 aa3 or 吖 aa1 may make a request warmer. Beginners should first master the fixed polite expressions before trying to control subtle particle choices.

Written forms vary in informal messages because colloquial Cantonese has not always been standardized in the same way as formal written Chinese. The characters in this article are common Hong Kong forms. You may see romanization omitted in real life and English-derived 拜拜 used freely in speech and chat.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these details at A1, but they explain why real conversations may not match a phrasebook exactly.

First, the choice between 多謝 and 唔該 reflects how a speaker frames an action. A large, exceptional service can attract 多謝, while an ordinary handover remains 唔該. Speakers can even use both in a longer exchange: 唔該晒，真係好多謝你幫手—first acknowledging the practical help, then expressing deeper gratitude. Context matters more than a rigid list of objects.

Second, farewell expressions can carry interpersonal warmth. 我走先喇 ngo5 zau2 sin1 laa3 literally presents the speaker as “leaving first” and is a natural way to announce departure from a group. 慢慢行 is addressed to the person leaving and means roughly “take care on your way”; the person departing would not normally say it about themself.

Finally, sentence-final particles shape the emotional colour of short expressions. Compare plain 走喇 zau2 laa3 (“I’m leaving now”) with 走啦 zau2 laa1, which can sound more urging or coaxing depending on intonation. Particle meanings cannot always be translated by one English word. Learn them through complete recordings and situations rather than treating them as punctuation.

Practice Tips

1. Sort thanks by situation. Make two columns headed 多謝 and 唔該. Place “birthday present,” “holding a door,” “compliment,” “taxi ride,” and “special favour” in the correct column, then say the matching phrase aloud.
2. Rehearse three short scenes. Practise meeting someone, asking a server for water, and apologizing for being late. Keep each scene to two lines until the expression and tones come automatically.
3. Listen for whole phrases. Shadow a native recording—listen, pause, and imitate the rhythm—especially for m4 goi1, deoi3 m4 zyu6, and zou2 tau2. Record yourself and compare the pitch movement, not only the consonants.

Related Concepts

• Foundation: The Six Tones — understand what the Jyutping tone numbers represent.
• Foundation: Jyutping Romanization — learn to read the pronunciation used throughout this article.
• Next steps: Food and Ordering Expressions — use 唔該 naturally when ordering and interacting with restaurant staff.