Imagine crash landing on an alien planet that only speaks Cantonese. There are a few fundamental Cantonese words you should learn first. Using these words and pointing at things, will let you quickly build up your vocabulary.

These fundamental words are: Like, Not, I, You, This, and What.

(Note: Knowing how to say “Hello” in Cantonese is also useful. Read about the different ways to say hi in Cantonese here.)

Boy giving a flower to a girl

These fundamental first 6 Cantonese words are:

🩷 鍾意 (zung1 ji3) – Like

  • 鍾 zung1 意 ji3  🔊 – Like

🚫 唔 (m4) – Not

  • 唔 m4  🔊 – Not
  • 唔 m4 鍾 zung1 意 ji3  🔊 – Not Like

🚹👇 我 (ngo5) – I/Me

  • 我 ngo5  🔊 – I/Me
  • 我 ngo5 鍾 zung1 意 ji3  🔊 – I like.
  • 我 ngo5 唔 m4 鍾 zung1 意 ji3  🔊 – I do not like

🚹👆 你 (nei5) – You

  • 你 nei5  🔊 – You
  • 你 nei5 唔 m4 鍾 zung1 意 ji3  🔊 – You don’t like
  • 我 ngo5 鍾 zung1 意 ji3 你 nei5  🔊 – I like you

📦👇 呢個 (ni1 go3) – This

  • 呢 ni1 個 go3  🔊 – This
  • 你 nei5 鍾 zung1 意 ji3 呢 ni1 個 go3  🔊 – You like this.
  • 我 ngo5 唔 m4 鍾 zung1 意 ji3 呢 ni1 個 go3  🔊 – I do not like this.

❓ …唔…? – Yes-No Question – (Verb)-Not-(Verb)

In Cantonese, you ask yes-no question in the format: “(Verb)-Not-(Verb)?”

  • 鍾 zung1 唔 m4 鍾 zung1 意 ji3 ？ 🔊 – Like? (lit. “Like, No Like?”)
  • 你 nei5 鍾 zung1 唔 m4 鍾 zung1 意 ji3 呢 nei1 個 go3 ？ 🔊 – Do you like this? (lit. “You Like, Don’t Like, This?”)

❓📦 乜嘢 (mat1 je5) – What

  • 乜 mat1 嘢 je5  🔊 – What
  • 呢 nei1 個 go3 ，乜 mat1 嘢 je5 ？ 🔊 – This, What?
  • 你 nei5 鍾 zung1 意 ji3 乜 mat1 嘢 je5 ？ 🔊 – What do you like?

📦 嘢 (je5) – Thing

The 嘢 je5  🔊 in 乜 mat1 嘢 je5  🔊 means ‘Thing’.

  • 呢 nei1 個 go3 嘢 je5 ，乜 mat1 嘢 je5 ？ 🔊 – This thing, what?
  • 我 ngo5 鍾 zung1 意 ji3 呢 nei1 個 go3 嘢 je5 。 🔊 – I like this thing.

With these words: 唔, 鍾意, 我, 你, 呢個, and 乜嘢, you can start forming basic sentences, communicating with others, and building up your vocabulary.

Check out CampLingo.com to continue your Cantonese learning journey!