Personal Pronouns in Cantonese

In Brief

Cantonese has six core personal pronouns: 我 ngo5 (I/me), 你 nei5 (you), 佢 keoi5 (he/she/it), and their plurals 我哋, 你哋, and 佢哋. Add 哋 dei6 to a singular pronoun to make its plural; the pronoun itself does not change when it is the subject or object of a sentence.

Overview

A personal pronoun is a short word used in place of a person or thing: I, you, she, or they, for example. These words are among the first essentials at A1 because they let you introduce yourself, address someone, and talk about other people before you know much vocabulary.

The Cantonese system is compact. There is no separate form for me instead of I, or for him instead of he. There is also no gender distinction in the spoken third-person pronoun: 佢 keoi5 can mean he, she, or it. Context tells the listener which meaning is intended.

For English speakers, two features deserve attention. First, singular and plural you are distinct: 你 addresses one person, while 你哋 addresses more than one. Second, Cantonese verbs do not change according to the pronoun. In 我去 ngo5 heoi3 (I go) and 佢哋去 keoi5 dei6 heoi3 (they go), 去 remains exactly the same.

How It Works

The six core forms

Person	Singular	Meaning	Plural	Meaning
First person	我 ngo5	I, me	我哋 ngo5 dei6	we, us
Second person	你 nei5	you (one person)	你哋 nei5 dei6	you (more than one)
Third person	佢 keoi5	he, him; she, her; it	佢哋 keoi5 dei6	they, them

“First person” means the speaker, “second person” means the person being addressed, and “third person” means anyone or anything being talked about.

Jyutping tone numbers are part of the pronunciation. In particular, all three singular forms have tone 5, while 哋 has tone 6. Learn each pronoun with its tone rather than treating the number as optional.

Forming the plural with 哋

The beginner rule is simple:

• 我 + 哋 → 我哋 ngo5 dei6 (we/us)
• 你 + 哋 → 你哋 nei5 dei6 (you, plural)
• 佢 + 哋 → 佢哋 keoi5 dei6 (they/them)

Here 哋 is a plural suffix—a piece attached after a pronoun to show more than one. It does not create a distinction between inclusive we (“you and I”) and exclusive we (“others and I, but not you”). 我哋 can express either meaning, so context supplies the answer.

Do not extend this rule to ordinary nouns. English adds -s freely, but Cantonese does not normally add 哋 to words such as 學生 (student) or 朋友 (friend). Number may be shown by a number and classifier, by 啲 di1, or simply by context:

• 三個學生 saam1 go3 hok6 saang1 — three students
• 啲學生 di1 hok6 saang1 — the students / some students
• 學生嚟咗。 hok6 saang1 lai4 zo2 — The student(s) came. (context decides)

The same pronoun as subject and object

A subject is who performs or experiences the action. An object is who or what the action affects. English changes I to me and he to him; Cantonese does not.

Role	Pattern	Example	Meaning
Subject	pronoun + verb	我識佢。	I know him/her.
Object	verb + pronoun	佢識我。	He/She knows me.
Subject	pronoun + verb	佢哋幫你。	They help you.
Object	verb + pronoun	你幫佢哋。	You help them.

Word order, not a change in the pronoun, shows its role. The basic order is subject–verb–object: 我鍾意佢 ngo5 zung1 ji3 keoi5 literally follows “I like him/her.”

Pronouns with verbs

Cantonese verbs do not conjugate—that is, they do not acquire different endings for different people. You can substitute any pronoun without changing the verb:

Cantonese	Jyutping	English
我去。	ngo5 heoi3	I go / I am going.
你去。	nei5 heoi3	You go / You are going.
佢去。	keoi5 heoi3	He/She goes / is going.
我哋去。	ngo5 dei6 heoi3	We go / We are going.
你哋去。	nei5 dei6 heoi3	You all go / are going.
佢哋去。	keoi5 dei6 heoi3	They go / are going.

The English translation changes between go and goes; Cantonese 去 heoi3 does not.

Showing possession with 嘅

Place 嘅 ge3 after a pronoun to express possession:

• 我嘅書 ngo5 ge3 syu1 — my book
• 你嘅電話 nei5 ge3 din6 waa2 — your phone
• 佢哋嘅屋企 keoi5 dei6 ge3 uk1 kei2 — their home

When the possessed noun is already clear, the phrase can stand alone: 呢個係我嘅 ni1 go3 hai6 ngo5 ge3 means “This one is mine.” With close family relationships, 嘅 is often omitted, as in 我媽媽 ngo5 maa4 maa1 (my mother). This is a possession pattern, not a new set of pronoun forms.

Examples in Context

Cantonese	Jyutping	English	Note
我係香港人。	ngo5 hai6 hoeng1 gong2 jan4.	I am a Hong Konger.	我 is the subject.
你叫咩名？	nei5 giu3 me1 meng2?	What is your name?	你 addresses one person.
佢係我朋友。	keoi5 hai6 ngo5 pang4 jau5.	He/She is my friend.	佢 has no spoken gender distinction.
我哋一齊去。	ngo5 dei6 jat1 cai4 heoi3.	We’ll go together.	我哋 means “we”; the context supplies the time.
你哋住喺邊度？	nei5 dei6 zyu6 hai2 bin1 dou6?	Where do you all live?	你哋 addresses a group.
佢哋今日唔得閒。	keoi5 dei6 gam1 jat6 m4 dak1 haan4.	They aren’t free today.	佢哋 is third-person plural.
我識佢，但係佢唔識我。	ngo5 sik1 keoi5, daan6 hai6 keoi5 m4 sik1 ngo5.	I know him/her, but he/she doesn’t know me.	The same forms work as subjects and objects.
你可唔可以幫我？	nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 bong1 ngo5?	Can you help me?	我 means “me” after 幫.
我有兩個妹妹。	ngo5 jau5 loeng5 go3 mui6 mui2.	I have two younger sisters.	The verb 有 does not change after 我.
呢本書係佢嘅。	ni1 bun2 syu1 hai6 keoi5 ge3.	This book is his/hers.	佢嘅 stands alone as “his/hers.”
我哋聽日見。	ngo5 dei6 ting1 jat6 gin3.	We’ll see each other tomorrow.	A time word supplies the future meaning.
你哋食咗飯未呀？	nei5 dei6 sik6 zo2 faan6 mei6 aa3?	Have you all eaten yet?	Plural 你哋 is useful when greeting a group.

Common Mistakes

Using English-style subject and object forms

• Wrong idea: searching for separate Cantonese words corresponding to I/me or they/them
• Right: 我幫佢。佢幫我。 ngo5 bong1 keoi5. keoi5 bong1 ngo5.
• Why: Cantonese pronouns do not change for subject and object roles. Position and sentence structure show the role.

Treating 佢 as masculine only

• Wrong: assuming 佢 must mean “he”
• Right: 佢係我老師。 can mean “He is my teacher” or “She is my teacher.”
• Why: Spoken Cantonese uses 佢 regardless of gender. Translate according to the known person or the surrounding context, not according to the character itself.

Using 你 for a group

• Wrong: 你住喺邊度？ when asking several people where they live
• Right: 你哋住喺邊度？ nei5 dei6 zyu6 hai2 bin1 dou6?
• Why: Unlike modern English you, Cantonese normally marks the plural explicitly with 哋 when the addressee is a group.

Adding 哋 to ordinary nouns

• Wrong: 學生哋 for “students” in ordinary beginner usage
• Right: 啲學生 di1 hok6 saang1 or 三個學生 saam1 go3 hok6 saang1
• Why: 哋 forms the regular plurals of personal pronouns; it is not a general equivalent of English -s. Cantonese has other ways to indicate plural nouns.

Changing the verb after 佢

• Wrong idea: expecting a special third-person form because English has goes or has
• Right: 我去 / 佢去 / 佢哋去
• Why: Cantonese verbs do not change for person or number.

Confusing 係 and 喺

• Wrong: 我係屋企。 for “I am at home.”
• Right: 我喺屋企。 ngo5 hai2 uk1 kei2.
• Why: 係 hai6 identifies or classifies (“is”), while 喺 hai2 marks location (“at/in”). The pronoun is correct in both; the following word is what changes.

Usage Notes

Pronouns may be omitted when context is clear

Everyday Cantonese often leaves out a pronoun that listeners can recover easily. For example, 食咗飯未呀？ sik6 zo2 faan6 mei6 aa3? can mean “Have you eaten yet?” even without 你. An answer may be simply 食咗喇 sik6 zo2 laa3 (“Yes, [I] have eaten”).

This omission is based on context, not on verb endings: the verb itself does not identify the missing person. Beginners should first learn complete sentences, then notice where speakers naturally omit information that is already obvious.

Politeness does not require a different everyday “you”

English learners sometimes expect a standard polite pronoun alongside 你. In ordinary spoken Cantonese, politeness is more often conveyed through titles, names, softened requests, 唔該 m4 goi1, and sentence-final particles than through a separate everyday formal pronoun. Do not invent a distinction that is not present in the basic six-form system.

People, animals, and things

佢 can refer to a person, an animal, or an object when that reference is natural and clear. English forces a choice among he, she, and it, but Cantonese speech does not. Repeating the noun can be clearer when several possible referents are being discussed.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A1, but they explain forms you will encounter later.

Spoken Cantonese and Standard Written Chinese differ

This article teaches vernacular Cantonese—the language people actually speak and the corresponding Cantonese writing. Formal Standard Written Chinese normally uses 我、你、他／她／它、我們、你們、他們／她們／它們. The written characters 他, 她, and 它 distinguish masculine, feminine, and nonhuman reference, but their spoken Cantonese counterpart is normally 佢 in conversation.

As a result, subtitles, news articles, formal documents, and messages written in a more standard style may show 他們 where conversational Cantonese would use 佢哋. This is a register difference (a difference linked to situation and style), not a second pronunciation of 佢哋.

Pronouns and emphasis

An explicit pronoun can mark contrast when it might otherwise be omitted:

• 我去，佢唔去。 ngo5 heoi3, keoi5 m4 heoi3. — I’m going; he/she isn’t.
• 你做呢個，我做嗰個。 nei5 zou6 ni1 go3, ngo5 zou6 go2 go3. — You do this one; I’ll do that one.

Stress in speech and the surrounding parallel structure make the contrast clear. Likewise, 我哋 remains ambiguous between inclusive and exclusive “we.” If the distinction matters, speakers clarify who is included rather than changing the pronoun itself.

Pronoun + 自己

Later you will meet 自己 zi6 gei2 (“self”). It can follow a pronoun: 我自己 (myself), 你自己 (yourself), and 佢自己 (himself/herself). It can add emphasis or show that someone acts independently. The personal pronoun system remains unchanged; 自己 adds the reflexive or emphatic meaning.

Human-reference forms related to 哋

The syllable dei6 also appears in words such as 人哋 jan4 dei6, which can mean “other people,” “someone else,” or a generalized “they,” depending on context. Although it is historically and formally related, do not build 人哋 by applying the beginner plural rule to the noun 人. Learn it as its own common expression.

Practice Tips

1. Drill substitutions without changing the verb. Say 我去、你去、佢去、我哋去、你哋去、佢哋去 aloud. Repeat with 食 (eat), 飲 (drink), and 睇 (watch/read). This trains you not to conjugate Cantonese verbs like English verbs.
2. Practice two-way mini-dialogues. Ask 你叫咩名？ and answer 我叫…; then imagine speaking to a group and change only 你 to 你哋. Keep the tone numbers in mind as you speak.
3. Track referents while listening. When you hear 佢, pause and ask whether context points to a man, woman, animal, or thing. When a pronoun is absent, identify who the understood subject must be. This develops the context-reading skill that natural Cantonese requires.

Related Concepts

• Next step: 係 (to be) — identify or classify someone with patterns such as 我係學生.
• Next step: 有 (to have / there is) — talk about what people have and learn its special negative 冇.
• Next step: Basic Verbs and Word Order — place pronouns in subject–verb–object sentences.
• Next step: Basic Question Patterns — use pronouns in everyday questions.
• Next step: Possessive 嘅 Particle — build my, your, his/her, and their phrases.
• Related: Indefinite Pronouns and 啲 — refer to someone, nobody, something, and groups of nouns.
• Related: Family Terms — combine pronouns with Cantonese kinship vocabulary.
• Later: Reflexive and Emphatic 自己 — add meanings such as myself, yourself, and on one’s own.