17
votes
Accepted
b and p, d and t, k and g etc. in English and Cantonese
Voicing and Aspiration
Stop consonants can fall into the following categories (roughly):
Voiced stops: Vocal chords start vibrating before stop is released. E.g., English "b" as in "bat" (/bæt/ in ...
- 6,783
15
votes
Why don't Cantonese speakers write their own language?
Why not write in written Cantonese?
Cantonese speakers are not unwilling to write their own language. Nowadays, written Cantonese is often used in lyrics, instant messaging, social network, ...
- 588
10
votes
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Does 兩點九 mean 2:09 or 2:45?
Does 兩點九 have two different meanings? Or does it always mean 2:45?
It does not have two different meanings. It means 2:45.
We can also say 兩點四十五分。 In fact, it's more direct to say 兩點四十五分, if we're ...
- 6,026
9
votes
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What is the Mandarin equivalent of Cantonese's 麻麻地 (so-so)?
麻麻地 (Cantonese)
麻麻地 http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/1503/
so-so; not too good, not too bad; ho-hum; middling.
Example: 佢嘅英文麻麻地 (his English is just so-so)
普通/ 普普通通
...
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8
votes
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How to pronounce 廿卅卌 in Chinese?
In most Cantonese speakers I know, 廿 is still a colloquial item of vocabulary, replaced with 二十 in usual formal writing; but 廿 remains a very common alternative, for counting as well as enumerating. ...
- 6,313
8
votes
Why don't Cantonese speakers write their own language?
It's not really that Cantonese people are unwilling to write the language; It's simply because the language is very oral-oriented where many slangs are involves mainly for effectiveness purpose.
It'...
- 2,122
8
votes
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How to say job offer in Mandarin/Cantonese?
'Job offer' is a noun. It means 工作提案 in literal sense
聘用提案 (hiring offer) world be a better Chinese counterpart
you can also use a more literary term '邀聘' [invite to a job(v); job invitation (n)]
...
- 76.1k
8
votes
Is there any proof that the Taishanese language is related to Gan? Is it from a linguistic perspective?
The Gan-Hakka hypothesis is most famously put forward by Sagart (2002), based on certain unique shared innovations in both Southern Gan varieties and Hakka:
屋下 as the usual word for "house",...
- 6,313
8
votes
What does GG mean here?
After a close match, the players might say "good game" to each other
It can also be used as a mocky, for example, I beat you 6-0 6-0 in tennis, but you still played a good game
Typing "...
- 76.1k
7
votes
Is Cantonese a better choice in studying classic of poetry (詩經)?
Cantonese might preserve more sound distinctions than Mandarin, but they're both derived (as are most, though not all, modern dialects) from Middle Chinese.
The current consensus, arrived at slowly ...
- 381
7
votes
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Difference between 製作 and 製造?
The character 作 contains the meaning of 'create'
製作 refers to crafting, creating or making something that require skilled hands or creative mind (usually a single piece or in modest quantity)
For "...
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7
votes
Accepted
Cangjie reference
至少有兩種資源：網站和對照表
五個網站資源
(1) 漢文庫典
漢文庫典的資料庫及字詞、成語等典籍，係以【朱邦復工作室】所發展的倉頡系統製作、轉換。
朱邦復是倉頡輸入法的發明人。這像是官方最新的版本。
(2) 馬來西亞 倉頡之友
以第五代倉頡碼為主，有時會有第三代的編碼。
(3) 維基詞典
這似乎是第三代的編碼。有時會有第五代的編碼。
(4) 汉典
(5) 国学大师
...
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7
votes
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What does “射個三分波” mean?
“港鐵就射個三分波 叫我們問政府”
MTR just shot a three-pointer, told us to ask the government
"射三分波" is obviously a basketball term.
It is not a common term, but a great use of metaphor.
Imagine: The MTR ...
- 76.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Use of 成 / 乘 number quantifiers in Cantonese
成: one tenth; 10 per cent
乘: multiply; multiplication
一成熟：rare (10% cooked) 三成熟：medium rare (30% cooked) 五成熟：medium (50% cooked) 七成熟：medium well (70% cooked) 全熟：Well done (100% cooked)
It is always &...
- 76.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Using this Cantonese particle to indicate past tense
晒 as a verb particle here indicate - 'All; completely'
Example: 走晒 (all left); 死晒 (all dead; completely dead); 冇晒 (all gone)
填好晒 = finished filling it all
The phrase 貼好 (finished sticking on) ...
- 76.1k
7
votes
Using this Cantonese particle to indicate past tense
The verbal aspect markers V+咗 and V+好, and the verb complement V+嗮, are similar but not identical.
V+咗 is perfective. The activity is completed but its result still applies to the present situation. (...
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'it cant be helped' translation in cantonese
(件事/佢)冇得救: (the thing/he) cannot be salvaged (literally 'rescued')
(我)想幫都幫唔到: even if I want to help, I cannot
(我)冇計/冇辦法: literally, I do not have any tricks for / solutions to a problem
我都愛莫能助: ...
- 5,595
7
votes
Accepted
Cantonese Question: When does one use 咩 versus 乜野?
It's a contraction. (合音)
Cantonese contracts 乜嘢 (mat1 ye5)[4] 'what?' to 咩 (me1).
Common words spoken fast often have the first initial mixed in with the last final. For example 咩 takes the "m&...
Mou某♦
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6
votes
Accepted
In Cantonese, what is a less "childish" way to call one's own parents?
In Cantonese, 我爸爸 and 我媽媽 are perfectly fine to use to refer to your parents, no matter what your age is. They are neither rigid nor childish. Slightly more familiar terms are 我阿爸 and 我阿媽. In a very ...
- 6,026
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votes
Accepted
What is the polite way to say a grandparent has passed away?
The common polite terms for 「死了」(died):
過身 (passed away)
去世 (left this world)
逝世 (departed from this world)
仙逝 (departed to the spiritual world)
走了 (had gone)
Example sentences:
他過身了
他已經去世了
曹操在 220 ...
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6
votes
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What is the Mandarin equivalent of Cantonese's 一係 A 一係 B?
An equivalent expression is:
要麽 before each option
要麽吃，要麽走
Either eat or go.
要麽你去，要麽他去，我不能去。
Either you go or he goes; I can't.
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votes
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I am happy for you (on your behalf): difference between 為你開心 and 當妳開心？
In Cantonese, 戥你開心 is the most common way to say "happy for you" (not 當)
戥 http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/8501/
(1). for (a person) | [華] 替, 為
As this entry stated, ...
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6
votes
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How similar are Hakka and Cantonese?
If we take Guangzhou to represent Cantonese and Meixian to represent Hakka we can get an idea.
Part one:
Isolated-word-intelligibility test
With Hakka as the speaker people from Guangzhou only ...
Mou某♦
- 35.9k
6
votes
What are the Chinese characters for Cantonese 'tìm ge la wo'?
Well, it's
keuih: 佢
lo-jo: 攞咗
daih: 第
yat: 一
mihng: 名
tim: 添 (u+6dfb)
ge: 㗎 (u+67b6)
la: 啦 (u+5566)
wo: 喎 (u+558e)
Next, I disagree with the author that these four particles would be used ...
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6
votes
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What does 泉 mean in 道具泉, in the context of a handbill?
Obviously it was referring to the host 關灝泉 Kwan Ho Chuen（香港中文大學哲學系博士生）
In Hong Kong, people often nickname someone by his job. For example. 李先生 is a 經紀, people who mainly know him as a 經紀 might ...
- 76.1k
6
votes
Are there loanwords from Portuguese used in Macau Cantonese?
Mostly food? The below examples are from Words.hk:
马介休
loanword from "bacalhau" in Portuguese; Portuguese-style salted fish
馬介休撻
maa5 gaai3 jau1 taat1
bacalhau tart
亞東
「亞東」喺澳門叫法, ...
Mou某♦
- 35.9k
6
votes
Function of「果」in (folk, written) Cantonese?
Here, 果 is just an alternative representation of go2 (meaning that, more commonly written as 嗰, functioning similarly to Mandarin 那), since some variations of Cantonese pronounce Jyutping kw- and gw- ...
- 932
6
votes
Accepted
Function of 行 in this statement (cantonese)
「行」 here is certainly a sound-alike word of a forgotten character that means "vigorous/ fierce/ relentless" and pronounced as /haang4/
A better sound-alike word for this character is [恆] ...
- 76.1k
6
votes
Accepted
What does GG mean here?
well, it means “game over” 😸
網絡潮語大檢閱 GG、FF 甚麼意思？
https://evchk.fandom.com/zh/wiki/GG
have fun :)
Note: GG = "完蛋了" or "Good Game"
「GG」是指「Game Over」，有「完蛋」、「輸了」、「玩完」的意思，起源於台灣論壇「...
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