(Note: This is part of a continuing series of "Cheat Sheets" where I share some of the major differences I learned between Mandarin and Cantonese to help people who read the former begin to read the latter)
This post covers Cantonese words in comparison to their Mandarin equivalents. Take note of how Cantonese’s question words often slip into their own usages, evading certain differentiations seen in both English or Mandarin.
This post covers Cantonese words in comparison to their Mandarin equivalents. Take note of how Cantonese’s question words often slip into their own usages, evading certain differentiations seen in both English or Mandarin.
That being said, I'll first highlight that basic yes/no and copular ("to be") questions in Cantonese are usually made with a verb-negative-verb structure and a final particle (呀) at the end of the sentence. This is a bit different from Mandarin, which can either use: (1) 嗎 to change a statement into a question OR (2) a verb-negative-verb structure but no 嗎:
係唔係你部電腦呀？
是不是你的電腦？
Is it your computer?
你鍾唔鍾意呀？
你喜歡嗎？
Do you like it?
(Note: There are cases where you can create a question in Cantonese without verb-negative-verb structures and use a final particle, but that is usually only seen in rhetorical questions like, 仲要講咩? Do you still need to talk?)
In general, the final particle a (呀) is added to questions using question words as well, though it can be swapped out for other final particles to add some tone or flare. For simplicity’s sake, I’ve restricted the example sentences below to only use a.
1. 邊個 bīn go, 邊位 bīnwái (vs. 誰, 哪一個)
The default way to express “who” in Cantonese (similar to 誰 in Mandarin) is to use bīn go (邊個).
佢係邊個呀?
她是誰？
Who is she?
In cases where you need to be more polite (like on the telephone), bīn wái (邊位) is a suitable substitution for bīn go.
你搵邊位呀？
您找誰？
With whom would you like to speak?
Note that in the above example, Mandarin expresses politeness to the other speaker with the formal 您, while Cantonese expresses politeness through the swap in question word, though whether that politeness is being directed at the other interlocutor or the person being sought after is up for debate. What matters is that while these are both stock phrases in telephone Mandarin and Cantonese that express approximate meaning, there are subtle differences to be aware of.
However, know that bīn go is also the neutral way to ask “which” in cases where the noun in question uses the default measure word, 個, functioning similarly to 哪一個 in Mandarin.
邊個地方呀?
哪一個地方？
Which place?
However, if the noun you are referring to has a particular measure word (like 張，條，隻, etc.), then you will need to swap out the 個 with the appropriate measure word, as in below:
(*imagine there is a room full of cats having a play date*)
邊兩隻貓係你嘅呀？
哪兩隻貓是你的？
Which two cats are yours?
In this manner, bīn go can also be interpreted as “which person” when referring to assembled people rather than “who” or “whom”:
(*you walk into a bar with your friend and there are five men sitting down*)
邊個係你嘅男朋友呀？
哪一個是你的男朋友？
Which one is your boyfriend?
2. 邊度 bīn douh （vs. 哪裏, 哪兒)
Bīn douh is the standard “where” word in Cantonese, similar to 哪裡 or 哪兒 in Mandarin. It comes up a lot following hái (喺):
你住喺邊度呀？
你住在哪裡？/ 你住在哪兒？
Where do you live?
Often, bīn douh is shortened to just bīn in very short, colloquial expressions.
(你)去邊呀？
(你)去哪裡？/ 去哪兒？
Where are you going?
3. 乜嘢 māt yéh, 咩 mē (vs. 什麼, sometimes 誰)
The closest equivalent to the Mandarin 什麼 in Cantonese is 乜嘢, or “what”:
呢個係乜嘢呀？
這是什麼？
What is this?
佢做緊乜嘢呀？
他在做什麼？
What is he doing?
When the final particle làih ga is added at the end of a māt yéh question, it can take on the meaning of “what sort of”/“what kind of” (什麼樣的), often with a questioning, derisive, or sarcastic tone.
呢場係乜嘢戲嚟㗎？
這是什麼樣的電影？
What sort of movie is this?
Māt yéh is often truncated to simply mē (咩), especially for quick questions:
你講咩呀？
你說什麼？
What are you saying? / What are you talking about?
4. 點(樣) dím (yéung) （vs. 怎麼)
For “how” questions, Cantonese uses dím yéung (點樣) or just dím (點):
點樣最好學廣東話呀？
怎麼最好學廣東話？
How can one best study Cantonese? (literally, “how best study Cantonese;” in English, we might also say, “What is the best way to study Cantonese?”)
點樣討論呢個問題呀？
怎麼討論這個問題？
How do we discuss this problem?
And here’s an example with the truncation:
*when asking for pedestrian directions*
點行呀？
怎麼走？
How does one get there (by walking)?
5. 點解 dím gáai and 做乜嘢 jouh māt yéh (vs. 為什麼)
The most common way to ask “why” (為什麼) is to use the question word dím gáai. Mandarin speakers might find it helpful to break this expression further, knowing that 點 in Cantonese function similar to 怎麼 in Mandarin, while 解 is a shortened form of 解釋, or “to explain.” Thus, in asking, “Why?” a Cantonese speaker is essentially asking, “How do you explain?”
點解未話畀我聽呀？
為什麼沒有告訴我？
Why didn’t you tell me?
點解住喺呢度呀？
為什麼住在這裡？
Why do you live here?
However, if someone is asking (often bluntly) about purpose or intention behind a particular action, they can also use jouh māt yéh (做乜嘢), which functions similarly to the colloquial 幹嗎 in Mandarin:
你做乜嘢企喺嗰邊呀？
你幹嗎站在那邊？
Why are you standing there?/What are you standing there for?
你做乜嘢食我嘅沙律呀？
你幹嗎吃我的沙拉？
Why are you eating my salad?/What are you eating my salad for?
6. 幾(多) géi dō (vs. 幾）
Here, Mandarin speakers may breathe a sigh of relief, as the question word for “how much” and “how many” questions is basically the same between the two languages. However, there is a subtle difference… Whereas in Mandarin, 幾 is almost always followed by an appropriate measure word, in Cantonese, it is almost always followed by 多, with an additional measure word optional:
幾多錢呀？
幾塊錢？
How much (money) is it?
幾多位？
幾位？
How many people are in your party? (at a restaurant)
你食咗幾多(個)蘋果呀？
你吃了幾個蘋果？
How many apples did you eat?
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This is just the basics of question words in Cantonese. As I mentioned above, there are many more (creative) ways to ask people for information in 廣東話, or to simply use questions as sarcastic barbs in the course of conversation. Hopefully I’ll get to cover some of that in a later post.
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