"Jo sun" (written as zou2 san4 or 早晨 in Chinese) means "good morning" in Cantonese. It is a common daily greeting used in places like Hong Kong when you meet someone early in the day.
You'll hear this a lot as a visitor to Hong Kong, mainly from your security guard and hotel staff. Always answer back “Jo san” – Good morning as a sign of respect.
"Cho san" (often written as zou2 san4 in Jyutping romanization) is a Cantonese phrase that means "Good morning". It is a common daily greeting used in Hong Kong, Macau, and other Cantonese-speaking regions to start the day.
The literal translation for "I love you" in Cantonese is 我愛你 (ngo5 oi3 nei5), though native speakers more commonly say 我鍾意你 (ngo5 zung1 ji3 nei5) for everyday romantic affection.
It means good morning 早 晨(zou2 san4). Note that in Cantonese, there are no special greetings for good afternoon or good evening. We would use general 你好(nei5 hou2) instead.
In Cantonese, "pretty girl" is 靚女 (pronounced leng neoi5). "Leng" means pretty, and "neoi5" means girl or woman. It’s a very common, casual phrase. You can use it as a direct compliment to someone, or as a friendly, polite way to call out to a waitress or shop clerk.
Xiao San (小三) is a widely used Chinese slang term that literally translates to "little third." It describes a romantic third party, specifically referring to a mistress or "other woman" involved in an extramarital affair or a committed relationship.
Therefore, in Taiwanese Mandarin we say "早安" ("zao an") instead of "早上好" ("zao shang hao") for "good morning," "午安" ("wu an") instead "中午好" ("zhung wu hao") for "good afternoon," and "晚安" (wan an) instead of "晚上好" (wan shang hao) for "good evening." By the way, you may say just "早" ("zhao") for "good morning" both in ...
The most common way to say thank you is “多謝” (doh jeh), which can be used in any situation. You can also say “多謝你” (doh jeh nei) to emphasize the person you are thanking or “多謝您” (doh jeh nín) to show gratitude to older people or superiors.
The direct translation of "I love you" in Cantonese is 我愛你, pronounced ngo5 oi3 nei5. However, native speakers more commonly say 我鍾意你 (ngo5 zung1 ji3 nei5), which literally means "I like you" but functions as the everyday way to express romantic affection.
The standard way to say goodbye in Chinese is 再见 (zàijiàn), which means "see you again". You can also use the casual 拜拜 (bàibai, "bye-bye") or specify when you will meet again like 明天见 (míngtiān jiàn, "see you tomorrow").
In Cantonese, "sister" is expressed using different words depending on whether she is older or younger than you: older sister is gaa1 ze2 (家姐) or ze2 ze2 (姐姐), and younger sister is sai3 mui6 (細妹) or mui6 mui6 (妹妹).
