Quantity and Degree Expressions in Cantonese

In Brief

Cantonese commonly puts a degree word before an adjective or quantity word: 幾好 gei2 hou2 “quite good,” 太貴 taai3 gwai3 “too expensive,” and 好多 hou2 do1 “a lot.” 夠 gau3 expresses “enough,” while 差唔多 caa1 m4 do1 expresses “almost” or “approximately.” Their position matters: 幾好 and 好幾個 do not mean the same thing.

Overview

Quantity tells us how much or how many; degree tells us to what extent. Cantonese uses a compact set of words for both jobs. With 好多 “a lot/many” and 好少 “very little/few,” 好 strengthens the quantity word. With an adjective (a describing word such as “expensive” or “cold”), 幾 means “quite,” 太 usually means “too,” and 夠 means “enough.” 差唔多 marks something as nearly complete, nearly true, or approximate.

These expressions are especially useful at A2 because they let you move beyond simple statements such as 呢件衫貴 “this item of clothing is expensive.” You can instead say 呢件衫幾貴 “this is quite expensive,” 太貴喇 “it’s too expensive,” or 唔夠平 “it isn’t cheap enough.” Cantonese does not require a verb meaning “to be” before a predicate adjective (an adjective that says what the subject is like), so the degree word normally goes directly before that adjective.

For English speakers, the main challenge is not the basic meanings but the word order. English places “enough” after an adjective—“warm enough”—whereas Cantonese places 夠 before it: 夠暖 gau3 nyun5. Also, English “quite” varies greatly by dialect and tone; beginner 幾 + adjective is best learned as a clearly positive degree, roughly “quite” or “pretty.”

How It Works

The beginner pattern

The safest core patterns are:

Meaning	Cantonese pattern	Example	Meaning
a large/small quantity	好 + 多/少 + noun	好多書	many books
quite a degree	幾 + adjective	幾方便	quite convenient
excessive degree	太 + adjective/多/少	太嘈	too noisy
sufficient degree or amount	夠 + adjective/noun phrase	夠暖	warm enough
nearly/approximately	差唔多 + expression	差唔多做完	almost finished

好多 and 好少: a lot and very little

多 do1 means “many/much,” and 少 siu2 means “few/little.” Adding 好 produces the very common expressions 好多 hou2 do1 “a lot of/many” and 好少 hou2 siu2 “very few/very little.” Put them before a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea):

• 好多人 hou2 do1 jan4 — a lot of people
• 好多時間 hou2 do1 si4 gaan3 — a lot of time
• 好少位 hou2 siu2 wai2 — very few seats
• 好少水 hou2 siu2 seoi2 — very little water

A classifier is the counting word used between a number or demonstrative and a noun, as in 三個人 “three people.” After 好多 and 好少, a classifier is normally unnecessary: 好多書 is the simplest way to say “many books.” By contrast, 好幾 + classifier + noun means “quite a few/several,” as in 好幾本書 “quite a few books.”

Before a verb, 好少 often describes frequency rather than physical quantity:

• 我好少飲咖啡。 — I rarely drink coffee.
• 佢好少遲到。 — He/She is rarely late.

Here the natural English equivalent is “rarely,” literally “on very few occasions.”

幾: quite, several, or how many

Before an adjective, 幾 gei2 means “quite,” “rather,” or “pretty”:

• 幾好 — quite good
• 幾遠 — quite far
• 幾有趣 — quite interesting

This is usually a moderate-to-strong assessment, not a weak or reluctant one. The sentence-final particle 嘅 ge3 can make the assessment sound confirmatory or mildly emphatic: 幾好睇嘅 “It’s actually quite good-looking.” The particle is useful, but it is not required for the 幾 + adjective pattern.

Before a classifier and noun, 幾 can ask “how many?” Context and question particles help reveal the reading:

• 你有幾本書呀？ — How many books do you have?
• 我有幾本書。 — I have several books.

For the unambiguous statement “quite a few,” Cantonese often uses 好幾 + classifier + noun: 好幾個朋友 “quite a few friends.” Do not confuse this with 幾好 + adjective, where 幾 modifies 好 or another adjective.

太: too much or too intense

Put 太 taai3 before an adjective or quantity word:

• 太貴 — too expensive
• 太慢 — too slow
• 太多 — too many/too much
• 太少 — too few/too little

A sentence ending in 喇 laa3 often presents the excess as a newly relevant situation, warning, or reaction: 太多喇！ “That’s too much!” Cantonese can also use 太 + adjective + 喇 as an enthusiastic positive reaction, especially with favorable adjectives: 太好喇！ means “That’s wonderful!” rather than a complaint that something is excessively good. Tone and context decide the interpretation.

For a complete “too … to …” idea, everyday Cantonese often states the consequence in a second clause instead of copying English word for word:

• 太夜喇，我唔去喇。 — It’s too late, so I’m not going.
• 呢個袋太重，我攞唔到。 — This bag is too heavy; I can’t carry it.

夠: enough

夠 gau3 comes before what meets—or fails to meet—a threshold:

• 夠大 — big enough
• 夠快 — fast enough
• 夠錢 — enough money
• 夠時間 — enough time

This order is the reverse of English adjective + “enough.” To negate it, put 唔 before 夠: 唔夠大 “not big enough.” To ask whether something is sufficient, use the Cantonese A-not-A pattern (a yes/no pattern that repeats a word with 唔): 夠唔夠？ “Is it enough?”

When an amount is enough for a purpose, 夠 + noun + verb is common:

• 夠錢買飛。 — There is enough money to buy a ticket.
• 夠時間食飯。 — There is enough time to eat.

夠喇 can stand alone: “That’s enough.” Depending on tone, it may be a neutral instruction to stop adding something or a sharp “Enough!”

差唔多: almost and approximately

差唔多 caa1 m4 do1 literally suggests that the difference is not great. It has three closely connected uses:

1. Almost at a state or result: 差唔多做完 — almost finished doing it.
2. Approximately an amount or time: 差唔多十個人 — about ten people.
3. Roughly the same: 兩個價錢差唔多 — the two prices are about the same.

Before a verb or result expression, it usually means “almost”: 差唔多到喇 “We’re almost there.” Before a number, it usually means “about”: 差唔多三點 “about three o’clock.” Used as the predicate after two compared things, it means “similar” or “not much different.”

The compact expression 差唔多得喇 means “it is nearly acceptable/ready now,” naturally translated as “Almost done” or “That’s about enough.” 得 dak1 here means that the situation will do or is acceptable; it does not mean “finish” by itself.

Examples in Context

Cantonese	Jyutping	English	Note
呢度好多人。	ni1 dou6 hou2 do1 jan4.	There are a lot of people here.	好多 + noun
今日好少客。	gam1 jat6 hou2 siu2 haak3.	There are very few customers today.	Small quantity
我好少搭的士。	ngo5 hou2 siu2 daap3 dik1 si2.	I rarely take taxis.	好少 + verb expresses low frequency
呢套戲幾好睇嘅。	ni1 tou3 hei3 gei2 hou2 tai2 ge3.	This film is actually quite good.	Moderate positive assessment
行過去幾遠㗎？	haang4 gwo3 heoi3 gei2 jyun5 gaa3?	How far is it to walk there?	Question reading of 幾
我等咗幾個字。	ngo5 dang2 zo2 gei2 go3 zi6.	I waited several minutes.	幾 + classifier means several here; 個字 is five minutes
呢杯咖啡太甜喇。	ni1 bui1 gaa3 fe1 taai3 tim4 laa3.	This coffee is too sweet.	Excessive degree
你落得太多鹽喇！	nei5 lok6 dak1 taai3 do1 jim4 laa3!	You’ve added too much salt!	Excessive amount
太好喇，我哋聽日出發！	taai3 hou2 laa3, ngo5 dei6 ting1 jat6 ceot1 faat3!	Great! We’ll leave tomorrow!	Positive exclamation
呢間房夠唔夠大？	ni1 gaan1 fong2 gau3 m4 gau3 daai6?	Is this room big enough?	A-not-A question
我唔夠錢買呢部電腦。	ngo5 m4 gau3 cin2 maai5 ni1 bou6 din6 nou5.	I don’t have enough money to buy this computer.	唔夠 + noun
差唔多九點喇。	caa1 m4 do1 gau2 dim2 laa3.	It’s almost nine o’clock.	Approaching a time
我差唔多做完喇。	ngo5 caa1 m4 do1 zou6 jyun4 laa3.	I’m almost finished.	Approaching completion
兩間舖頭嘅價錢差唔多。	loeng5 gaan1 pou3 tau2 ge3 gaa3 cin2 caa1 m4 do1.	The two shops’ prices are about the same.	Similarity

Common Mistakes

Putting 夠 after the adjective

• Wrong: 暖夠
• Right: 夠暖 gau3 nyun5
• Why: English says “warm enough,” but Cantonese puts 夠 before the adjective. Use 唔夠暖 for “not warm enough.”

Adding 係 before an ordinary adjective

• Wrong: 呢度係太嘈。
• Right: 呢度太嘈喇。 ni1 dou6 taai3 cou4 laa3.
• Why: Cantonese adjectives can act directly as the predicate. An ordinary description does not need 係 “to be.”

Treating every 幾 as “quite”

• Wrong interpretation: 你買咗幾個？ = “You bought quite several?”
• Right: 你買咗幾個？ = “How many did you buy?”
• Why: Before a classifier, 幾 may mean “how many” in a question and “several” in a statement. Before an adjective, it commonly means “quite.”

Copying English “too … to …” word order

• Unnatural: trying to force “too heavy to carry” into one English-shaped chain
• Natural: 太重喇，我攞唔到。 taai3 cung5 laa3, ngo5 lo2 m4 dou2.
• Why: Spoken Cantonese often gives the excessive condition first and its practical consequence next: “It’s too heavy; I can’t carry it.”

Assuming 差唔多 always means “almost”

• Misreading: 差唔多十個人 as “almost people”
• Right: 差唔多十個人 means “about ten people.”
• Why: Before a number, 差唔多 marks approximation. Before a completed action or destination, it often means “almost.” After two compared items, it can mean “roughly the same.”

Usage Notes

These forms are neutral and frequent in spoken Cantonese. Sentence-final particles make them sound more conversational and clarify the speaker’s stance. 喇 often marks a changed or currently relevant situation, as in 夠喇 “that’s enough now” and 差唔多到喇 “we’re nearly there now.” 嘅 in 幾好嘅 can add a confirming “it is quite good, actually” flavor.

In everyday Hong Kong Cantonese, 幾 + adjective is a natural way to give a measured positive or negative judgment. It can sound less absolute than 好 + adjective, though exact strength always depends on voice and context. 幾貴 may be a calm observation (“rather expensive”) or a warning (“pretty expensive”).

Bare 多 and 少 also occur without 好, particularly in contrasts, instructions, and comparative ideas: 食多啲菜 “eat more vegetables,” 落少啲糖 “add less sugar.” The 啲 di1 pattern means “a little/more of a quantity” and belongs to a wider system of comparative quantity. For the present topic, remember that 好多/好少 + noun describes an overall large or small amount.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following distinctions at A2, but they explain forms you will hear later.

幾咁 + adjective can be exclamatory, meaning “how …!” rather than merely “quite”: 你知我幾咁開心！ “You know how happy I am!” This belongs with more advanced degree adverbs and should not be reduced to the beginner 幾 + adjective pattern.

太 does not always carry an unfavorable “excess” meaning. Positive exclamations such as 太好喇 “wonderful!” are highly conventional. In more formal or carefully structured language, 太過 taai3 gwo3 can explicitly emphasize excess: 太過複雜 “overly complicated.” Everyday speech often needs only 太.

夠 also appears in fixed expressions and constructions beyond simple sufficiency. 夠鐘 gau3 zung1 means “it is time” or “time is up,” and 唔夠喉 m4 gau3 hau4 colloquially means that something is not satisfying or not enough to satisfy one’s appetite for it. These are best learned as whole expressions.

Finally, 差唔多 can soften precision in conversation. A speaker may give 差唔多五百蚊 “around five hundred dollars” even when the exact figure is known but unimportant. As a response, 差唔多啦 can mean “more or less,” “nearly,” or “that’s about right.” Because its meaning depends on what standard is being approached, listen for whether the conversation concerns time, number, completion, or similarity.

Practice Tips

1. Build contrast sets. Take one adjective and say 幾貴, 太貴, 夠貴, and 唔夠貴. Then explain the difference in English. Repeat with 大, 快, and 暖.
2. Describe real quantities around you. Use 好多/好少 + noun for people, time, water, shops, or work. Then use 好少 + verb for something you rarely do.
3. Listen for the word after 差唔多. A number usually signals “approximately”; a verb or result often signals “almost.” Collect examples from conversations and label the use.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Adjectives and 好 — introduces Cantonese adjective predicates and the common intensifier 好.
• Next steps: Advanced Degree Adverbs — expands the system with 咁, 幾咁, 特別, 極, 簡直, and 相當.