This second lesson teaches many important aspect in Cantonese like adjectives, vocabulary list about food and finally common phrases about greeting. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Cantonese Classes.
Adjectives
Knowing adjectives in Cantonese is a powerful skill. It can make it easy to have a conversation about different topics by simply knowing some key words such as "good", "bad", "right", "wrong" etc. Adjectives are words used to describe or modify another person or thing in the sentence for example: I am happy. Cantonese is easy.
Below is a list of 20 adjectives that you might come across or use very often. The table contains 3 columns (English, Cantonese, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.
Adjectives List in Cantonese
Adjectives
Cantonese
Audio
Tall
高 gou1
Short
短 dyun2
Big
大 daai6
Wide
闊 fut3
Long
長 coeng4
Small
細 sai3
Thick
厚 hau5
Thin
薄 /瘦 bok6 / sau3
New
新 san1
Old (opposite of new)
舊 gau6
Cheap
平 ping4
Expensive
貴 gwai3
Young
年青 nin4 cing1
Old (opposite of young)
老 lou5
Wrong
錯 co3
Right (correct)
正確/啱 zing3 kok3 / ngaam1
Good
好 hou2
Bad
差 caa1
Difficult
難 naan4
Easy
容易 jung4 ji6
Now we will try to implement some of the words above into full Cantonese sentences. That way you will be able to use the word not only by itself but embedded in a structure.
Cantonese Adjectives in a Sentence
English
Cantonese
Audio
Am I right or wrong?
我啱定錯? ngo5 ngaam1 ding6 co3 ?
Is he younger or older than you?
佢細過定大過你? keoi5 sai3 gwo3 ding6 daai6 gwo3 nei5 ?
Is the test easy or difficult?
個測驗易定難? go3 caak1 jim6 ji6 ding6 naan4 ?
Is this book new or old?
呢本書新定舊? ne1 bun2 syu1 san1 ding6 gau6 ?
This is so expensive
太貴啦 taai3 gwai3 laa1
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact me using the Cantonese contact form on the header above.
Vocabulary List about Food
Below is a list of 50 words related to food such as fruits, vegetables and edible items. If you can memorize them by heart, you will be able to buy many food necessities from the supermarket or off the menu in a restaurant without a problem.
Food List in Cantonese
Food
Cantonese
Audio
Breakfast
早餐 zou2 caan1
Lunch
午餐 ng5 caan1
Dinner
晚餐 maan5 caan1
Meal
餐 caan1
Apples
蘋果 ping4 gwo2
Avocados
牛油果 ngau4 jau4 gwo2
Bananas
香蕉 hoeng1 ziu1
Beans
青豆 cing1 dau6
Bread
麵包 min6 baau1
Butter
牛油 ngau4 jau4
Carrots
紅蘿蔔 hung4 lo4 baak6
Cheese
芝士 zi1 si6
Chicken
雞 gai1
Coffee
咖啡 gaa1 fe1
Corn
粟米 suk1 mai5
Cucumbers
青瓜 cing1 gwaa1
Eggs
蛋 daan2
Figs
無花果 mou4 faa1 gwo2
Fish
魚 jyu4
Food
食物 sik6 mat6
Fruit
生果 saang1 gwo2
Garlic
蒜頭 syun3 tau4
Grapes
提子 tai4 zi2
Ice cream
雪糕 syut3 gou1
Lemons
檸檬 ling4 mung1
Lettuce
生菜 saang1 coi3
Meat
肉 juk6
Milk
牛奶 ngau4 naai5
Olives
橄欖 gaam3 laam5
Onions
洋葱 joeng4 cung1
Orange juice
橙汁 caang2 zap1
Oranges
橙 caang2
Peaches
桃 tou4
Pears
啤梨 be1 lei4
Peppers
胡椒 wu4 ziu1
Pineapples
菠蘿 bo1 lo4
Pizza
薄餅 bok6 beng2
Potatoes
薯仔 syu4 zai2
Pumpkin
南瓜 naam4 gwaa1
Salad
沙律 saa1 leot6
Salt
鹽 jim4
Sandwich
三文治 saam1 man4 zi6
Soda (like Coke)
汽水 hei3 seoi2
Strawberries
士多睥梨 si6 do1 pai5 lei4
Sugar
糖 tong4
Tea
茶 caa4
Tomatoes
蕃茄 faan4 ke4
Vegetables
蔬菜 so1 coi3
Water
水 seoi2
Watermelon
西瓜 sai1 gwaa1
Daily Conversation in Cantonese
Finally, a list of sentences using the vocabulary used in this lesson plus some bonus phrases. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Cantonese Phrases page. Enjoy!
Language Quote that a palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of characters which reads the same backward or forward. Allowances may be made for adjustments to capital letters, punctuation, and word dividers.
Congratulations! You finished your second lesson in Cantonese about adjectives, and food. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Cantonese Lesson 3. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Cantonese homepage.