Cantonese Learning
30-Day Hong Kong Cantonese Course
How to use this course
Aim for 30–45 minutes per day:
10 min: vocabulary
10 min: say the example sentences aloud
10 min: review previous days
5–15 min: listening/speaking practice
I'll use Jyutping:
我 ngo5 = I / me
The number represents the Cantonese tone.
Week 1 — Survival Cantonese
Day 1 — Hello! 你好
Vocabulary
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你 | nei5 | you |
| 我 | ngo5 | I / me |
| 你好 | nei5 hou2 | hello |
| 好 | hou2 | good |
| 早晨 | zou2 san4 | good morning |
| 拜拜 | baai1 baai3 | bye-bye |
| 多謝 | do1 ze6 | thank you |
| 唔該 | m4 goi1 | thanks / excuse me |
| 唔好意思 | m4 hou2 ji3 si1 | sorry / excuse me |
| 對唔住 | deoi3 m4 zyu6 | I'm sorry |
Learn these chunks
你好！ nei5 hou2 Hello!
早晨！ zou2 san4 Good morning!
多謝！ do1 ze6 Thank you!
唔該！ m4 goi1 Thanks / excuse me. Mini-dialogue
A: 你好！ Hello!
B: 你好！早晨！ Hello! Good morning!
A: 多謝！ Thanks! Today's mission
Say 你好、早晨、多謝、唔該 aloud 10 times each.
Day 2 — I, you, he/she
Vocabulary
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我 | ngo5 | I |
| 你 | nei5 | you |
| 佢 | keoi5 | he / she |
| 我哋 | ngo5 dei6 | we |
| 你哋 | nei5 dei6 | you plural |
| 佢哋 | keoi5 dei6 | they |
| 人 | jan4 | person |
| 朋友 | pang4 jau5 | friend |
| 老師 | lou5 si1 | teacher |
| 學生 | hok6 saang1 | student |
Key pattern
我係…… ngo5 hai6 ... I am...
你係…… nei5 hai6 ... You are...
Examples:
我係學生。 ngo5 hai6 hok6 saang1 I'm a student.
佢係我朋友。 keoi5 hai6 ngo5 pang4 jau5 He/she is my friend. Day 3 — The most important negative words
Today is extremely important.
Vocabulary
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 係 | hai6 | be |
| 唔係 | m4 hai6 | isn't / am not |
| 有 | jau5 | have |
| 冇 | mou5 | don't have |
| 唔 | m4 | not |
| 知 | zi1 | know |
| 明 | ming4 | understand |
| 識 | sik1 | know / be familiar with |
Key distinction
唔 m4 generally negates actions, descriptions, etc.
我唔知。 ngo5 m4 zi1 I don't know.
冇 mou5 means don't have / there isn't.
我冇錢。 ngo5 mou5 cin2 I don't have money.
Essential survival sentence
我唔明。 ngo5 m4 ming4 I don't understand. Day 4 — What?
Vocabulary
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 咩 | me1 | what |
| 乜嘢 | mat1 je5 | what / what thing |
| 嘢 | je5 | thing / stuff |
| 邊 | bin1 | which / where |
| 邊個 | bin1 go3 | who |
| 呢個 | ni1 go3 | this |
| 嗰個 | go2 go3 | that |
Pattern
呢個係咩？ ni1 go3 hai6 me1? What is this?
嗰個係咩？ go2 go3 hai6 me1? What's that?
邊個？ bin1 go3? Who? Day 5 — Where?
Vocabulary
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 邊度 | bin1 dou6 | where |
| 呢度 | ni1 dou6 | here |
| 嗰度 | go2 dou6 | there |
| 喺 | hai2 | at / in |
| 屋企 | uk1 kei2 | home |
| 廁所 | ci3 so2 | toilet |
| 香港 | hoeng1 gong2 | Hong Kong |
| 車站 | ce1 zaam6 | station |
Pattern
你住邊度？ nei5 zyu6 bin1 dou6? Where do you live?
我住香港。 ngo5 zyu6 hoeng1 gong2 I live in Hong Kong.
廁所喺邊度？ ci3 so2 hai2 bin1 dou6? Where's the toilet? Day 6 — Numbers 1–10
Learn these thoroughly:
| # | Cantonese | Jyutping |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | jat1 |
| 2 | 二 | ji6 |
| 3 | 三 | saam1 |
| 4 | 四 | sei3 |
| 5 | 五 | ng5 |
| 6 | 六 | luk6 |
| 7 | 七 | cat1 |
| 8 | 八 | baat3 |
| 9 | 九 | gau2 |
| 10 | 十 | sap6 |
Practice
Say:
一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十
Then backwards.
Then randomly.
Day 7 — Review + first conversation
You now know enough to make a tiny conversation. Dialogue
A: 你好！你叫咩名呀？ Hello! What's your name?
B: 我叫 Alex。你呢？ My name is Alex. And you?
A: 我叫 Sam。 My name is Sam.
B: 你係邊度人？ Where are you from?
A: 我係英國人。 I'm British. Week 1 challenge
Without looking at the English:
Introduce yourself.
Say where you're from.
Say where you live.
Ask someone's name.
Say you don't understand.
Week 2 — Food, shopping & daily life
Day 8 — Eat & drink
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 食 | sik6 | eat |
| 飲 | jam2 | drink |
| 飯 | faan6 | meal / rice |
| 水 | seoi2 | water |
| 茶 | caa4 | tea |
| 咖啡 | gaa3 fe1 | coffee |
| 奶 | naai5 | milk |
| 肚餓 | tou5 ngo6 | hungry |
| 飽 | baau2 | full |
Key sentence
我肚餓。 ngo5 tou5 ngo6 I'm hungry.
我想食飯。 ngo5 soeng2 sik6 faan6 I want to eat. Day 9 — Ordering food
Learn:
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 要 | jiu3 | want |
| 唔要 | m4 jiu3 | don't want |
| 一杯 | jat1 bui1 | one cup |
| 一碗 | jat1 wun2 | one bowl |
| 少少 | siu2 siu2 | a little |
| 多啲 | do1 di1 | more |
| 少啲 | siu2 di1 | less |
| 辣 | laat6 | spicy |
| 甜 | tim4 | sweet |
Practice
我要一杯咖啡。 ngo5 jiu3 jat1 bui1 gaa3 fe1 I'd like a coffee.
唔要辣，唔該。 m4 jiu3 laat6, m4 goi1 Not spicy, please.
Day 10 — Restaurant vocabulary
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 餐廳 | caan1 teng1 | restaurant |
| 點心 | dim2 sam1 | dim sum |
| 雞 | gai1 | chicken |
| 牛 | ngau4 | beef |
| 豬 | zyu1 | pork |
| 魚 | jyu4 | fish |
| 蝦 | haa1 | shrimp |
| 菜 | coi3 | vegetables / dish |
| 麵 | min6 | noodles |
| 湯 | tong1 | soup |
| 埋單 | maai4 daan1 | bill |
| 打包 | daa2 baau1 | takeaway |
Mission
Imagine you're in a cha chaan teng and order:
a drink
a meal
something not spicy
the bill
Day 11 — Shopping
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 買 | maai5 | buy |
| 賣 | maai6 | sell |
| 錢 | cin2 | money |
| 幾多 | gei2 do1 | how much |
| 平 | peng4 | cheap |
| 貴 | gwai3 | expensive |
| 價錢 | gaa3 cin2 | price |
| 特價 | dak6 gaa3 | special price |
| 免費 | min5 fai3 | free |
Essential phrase
幾多錢呀？ gei2 do1 cin2 aa3? How much is it?
太貴喇。 taai3 gwai3 laa3 It's too expensive.
Day 12 — Time
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 今日 | gam1 jat6 | today |
| 聽日 | ting1 jat6 | tomorrow |
| 尋日 | cam4 jat6 | yesterday |
| 而家 | ji4 gaa1 | now |
| 朝早 | ziu1 zou2 | morning |
| 下晝 | haa6 zau3 | afternoon |
| 夜晚 | je6 maan5 | evening |
| 之前 | zi1 cin4 | before |
| 之後 | zi1 hau6 | after |
| 已經 | ji5 ging1 | already |
| 仲 | zung6 | still |
| 再 | zoi3 | again |
Practice
我而家好忙。 ngo5 ji4 gaa1 hou2 mong4 I'm very busy right now.
聽日見。 ting1 jat6 gin3 See you tomorrow.
Day 13 — Family & people
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English || | -- | -- | -- | | 爸爸 | baa4 baa1 | dad | | 媽媽 | maa4 maa1 | mum | | 阿哥 | aa3 go1 | older brother | | 家姐 | gaa1 ze1 | older sister | | 細佬 | sai3 lou2 | younger brother | | 細妹 | sai3 mui6 | younger sister | | 老公 | lou5 gung1 | husband | | 老婆 | lou5 po4 | wife | | 仔 | zai2 | son | | 女 | neoi5 | daughter |
Practice
佢係我阿哥。 keoi5 hai6 ngo5 aa3 go1 He's my older brother.
Day 14 — Week 2 review
Challenge
Have this conversation aloud:
Hello. What's your name? Where are you from? Where do you live? Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? How much is it? Thank you. See you tomorrow.
Don't worry about speed. Accuracy first.
Week 3 — Getting around Hong Kong
Day 15 — Transportation
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 巴士 | baa1 si2 | bus |
| 的士 | dik1 si2 | taxi |
| 港鐵 | gong2 tit3 | MTR |
| 地鐵 | dei6 tit3 | metro |
| 火車 | fo2 ce1 | train |
| 飛機 | fei1 gei1 | airplane |
| 機場 | gei1 coeng4 | airport |
| 車站 | ce1 zaam6 | station |
| 巴士站 | baa1 si2 zaam6 | bus stop |
| 地鐵站 | dei6 tit3 zaam6 | MTR station |
Day 16 — Directions
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 左 | zo2 | left |
| 右 | jau6 | right |
| 前面 | cin4 min6 | in front |
| 後面 | hau6 min6 | behind |
| 上面 | soeng6 min6 | above |
| 下面 | haa6 min6 | below |
| 入面 | jap6 min6 | inside |
| 出面 | ceot1 min6 | outside |
| 附近 | fu6 gan6 | nearby |
| 遠 | jyun5 | far |
| 近 | gan6 | near |
Sentence
地鐵站喺邊度？ Where is the MTR station? Day 17 — Going somewhere
Learn:
去 heoi3 — go 嚟 lai4 — come 返 faan1 — return/go back 到 dou3 — arrive 行 haang4 — walk 坐 co5 — sit / take transport Examples
我去香港。 I'm going to Hong Kong.
我返屋企。 I'm going home.
你幾時嚟？ When are you coming?
Day 18 — Can / cannot
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 可以 | ho2 ji5 | can / may |
| 唔可以 | m4 ho2 ji5 | cannot |
| 得 | dak1 | okay / possible |
| 唔得 | m4 dak1 | not okay |
| 應該 | jing1 goi1 | should |
| 一定 | jat1 ding6 | definitely |
| 可能 | ho2 nang4 | maybe |
Very useful pattern
可唔可以……？ ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 ...?
“Can I...?”
可唔可以幫我？ Can you help me?
Day 19 — Help!
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 幫 | bong1 | help |
| 幫我 | bong1 ngo5 | help me |
| 小心 | siu2 sam1 | be careful |
| 危險 | ngai4 him2 | dangerous |
| 警察 | ging2 caat3 | police |
| 醫生 | ji1 saang1 | doctor |
| 醫院 | ji1 jyun2 | hospital |
| 藥房 | joek6 fong4 | pharmacy |
| 痛 | tung3 | hurt / painful |
| 唔舒服 | m4 syu1 fuk6 | uncomfortable / unwell |
Important
唔該幫我。 m4 goi1 bong1 ngo5 Please help me.
Day 20 — Weather
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 天氣 | tin1 hei3 | weather |
| 熱 | jit6 | hot |
| 凍 | dung3 | cold |
| 落雨 | lok6 jyu5 | rain |
| 雨 | jyu5 | rain |
| 風 | fung1 | wind |
| 太陽 | taai3 joeng4 | sun |
| 陰天 | jam1 tin1 | cloudy |
| 打風 | daa2 fung1 | typhoon / strong wind |
| 濕 | sap1 | humid / wet |
Sentence
今日好熱。 gam1 jat6 hou2 jit6 It's very hot today.
Day 21 — Week 3 review
Scenario
You are lost in Hong Kong.
Ask:
Where is the MTR station?
Can you help me?
Is it far?
Which way?
Thank the person.
Try to do the whole interaction without English.
Week 4 — Real Cantonese
Now we move from vocabulary to natural speech.
Day 22 — Sentence particles
These are essential.
| Particle | Jyutping | Rough function |
|---|---|---|
| 呀 | aa3 | conversational / question |
| 啦 | laa1 | urging / change |
| 喎 | wo3 | new information |
| 嘅 | ge3 | emphasis / possession |
| 㗎 | gaa3 | emphasis / assurance |
| 囉 | lo1 | obvious conclusion |
| 咩 | me1 | surprise / challenge |
| 啫 | ze1 | only / just |
Compare:
食飯。 Eat.
食飯呀？ Are you eating?
食飯啦。 Let's eat / Go eat.
食咗飯喇。 I've eaten already.
Don't try to perfectly translate particles. Learn their feel and usage.
Day 23 — Aspect: 咗
咗 zo2 often indicates a completed action or changed state. Pattern
Verb + 咗
食咗 sik6 zo2 ate / have eaten
去咗 heoi3 zo2 went / have gone
買咗 maai5 zo2 bought Example
我食咗飯喇。 ngo5 sik6 zo2 faan6 laa3 I've eaten already.
Day 24 — Aspect: 緊
緊 gan2 indicates an action in progress. Pattern
Verb + 緊
食緊 eating
睇緊 watching / looking at
做緊 doing
返緊工 working Example
我食緊飯。 ngo5 sik6 gan2 faan6 I'm eating. Day 25 — “Want to” Pattern
想 + verb
我想去香港。 ngo5 soeng2 heoi3 hoeng1 gong2 I want to go to Hong Kong.
我想飲咖啡。 I want to drink coffee.
你想食咩？ What do you want to eat? Challenge
Make five sentences beginning:
我想……
Day 26 — Because / therefore / but
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English |
|---|---|---|
| 因為 | jan1 wai6 | because |
| 所以 | so2 ji5 | therefore / so |
| 但係 | daan6 hai6 | but |
| 如果 | jyu4 gwo2 | if |
| 同 | tung4 | with / and |
| 或者 | waak6 ze2 | or / maybe |
Example
因為今日落雨，所以我唔出去。
jan1 wai6 gam1 jat6 lok6 jyu5, so2 ji5 ngo5 m4 ceot1 heoi3
Because it's raining today, I'm not going out.
Day 27 — Natural conversation fillers
These make your Cantonese sound much more conversational.
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English / function |
|---|---|---|
| 咁 | gam3 | so / then |
| 咁樣 | gam2 joeng6 | like this |
| 真係 | zan1 hai6 | really |
| 梗係 | gang2 hai6 | of course |
| 其實 | kei4 sat6 | actually |
| 原來 | jyun4 loi4 | it turns out |
| 即係 | zik1 hai6 | that is / I mean |
| 咁即係 | gam2 zik1 hai6 | so that means |
| 可能 | ho2 nang4 | maybe |
| 好似 | hou2 ci5 | seems like |
| 大概 | daai6 koi3 | approximately |
Example
真係好好食喎！ zan1 hai6 hou2 hou2 sik6 wo3 It's really delicious! Day 28 — Cantonese small talk
Now combine everything. Dialogue
A: 你今日做咩呀？ What are you doing today?
B: 我今日返工。你呢？ I'm working today. And you?
A: 我唔使返工，想去飲咖啡。 I don't have to work, so I want to go for coffee.
B: 好呀！去邊度？ Sure! Where?
A: 去附近嗰間咖啡店。 To that coffee shop nearby.
B: 得喎！ Sounds good!
Notice how little of this is made from complicated vocabulary. Common words + particles + sentence patterns are the key.
Day 29 — Survival conversation test
Try answering these without looking anything up. Introduction
你叫咩名？ What's your name?
你係邊度人？ Where are you from?
你住邊度？ Where do you live? Food
你食咩呀？ What are you eating?
你想飲咩？ What do you want to drink? Navigation
你去邊度？ Where are you going?
地鐵站喺邊度？ Where's the MTR station? Shopping
呢個幾多錢？ How much is this?
有冇平啲？ Is there a cheaper one? Understanding
你明唔明？ huge difference once you start listening to actual Hong Kong Cantonese. Do you understand?
我唔明。 I don't understand. Day 30 — Your first Cantonese conversation 🎉
By now, try to perform this entire dialogue aloud. Meeting someone
A: 你好！ Hello!
B: 你好！你叫咩名呀？ Hello! What's your name?
A: 我叫 Alex。你呢？ I'm Alex. And you?
B: 我叫 Sam。你係邊度人？ I'm Sam. Where are you from?
A: 我係英國人，而家住喺東京。你呢？ I'm British, and I live in Tokyo now. You?
B: 我係香港人。 I'm from Hong Kong.
A: 你今日做咩呀？ What are you doing today?
B: 我今日唔使返工，想去食飯。 I don't have to work today, so I want to go eat.
A: 好呀！你想食咩？ Sure! What do you want to eat?
B: 我想食點心。你呢？ I want to eat dim sum. You?
A: 我都想食！ I want to eat it too!
B: 咁我哋一齊去啦！ Then let's go together!
A: 好呀！ Sure!
🎯 Your 30-day targets
By the end of the course, aim to be able to:
Introduce yourself.
Ask someone's name and where they're from.
Say where you live.
Order food and drinks.
Ask for the bill.
Ask prices.
Buy something.
Ask for directions.
Use the MTR/bus/taxi vocabulary.
Ask someone to repeat or help you.
Say you don't understand.
Talk about what you're doing.
Talk about yesterday/today/tomorrow.
Express wants and needs.
Use 唔 and 冇 correctly.
Begin using 咗 and 緊.
Recognize common sentence particles.
Hold a basic 2–5 minute conversation.
The 20 patterns I'd memorize first
If you remember nothing else from the course, remember these:
我係…… — I am...
我唔係…… — I am not...
我有…… — I have...
我冇…… — I don't have...
我想…… — I want to...
我要…… — I want/need...
我唔要…… — I don't want...
我唔知。 — I don't know.
我唔明。 — I don't understand.
你識唔識……？ — Do you know...?
你食咗飯未呀？ — Have you eaten yet?
你做緊咩呀？ — What are you doing?
你去邊度？ — Where are you going?
呢個係咩？ — What is this?
幾多錢呀？ — How much is it?
可唔可以……？ — Can I...?
得唔得呀？ — Is that okay?
喺邊度？ — Where is it?
唔該…… — Please / excuse me...
多謝！ — Thank you!