北京
bak¹ ging¹
The Cantonese word for Beijing is 北京 (bak¹ ging¹).
北京 refers to the capital of China.
Meaning: capital of China (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The name is composed of the characters for 'north' and 'capital'.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is bak¹ ging¹.
Did you know?
- Although the meaning is 'northern capital', the city was known as 'Peking' in English for decades, a romanization based on a different dialect that differs from the modern Cantonese bak¹ ging¹.
- Although the name refers to the 'north capital', in many historical contexts within China, it was paired with 'Nanjing' (the south capital) to establish a geopolitical balance.
- In Cantonese opera and traditional literature, the term 京 can also refer to the Beijing opera style, even though the name itself is a geographic designation.
Examples in context
- 我下年想去北京。ngo5 ha6 nin4 soeng2 heoi3 bei1 ging1.I want to go to Beijing next year.
- 北京係中國嘅首都。bei1 ging1 hai6 zung1 gwok3 ge3 sau2 dau2.Beijing is the capital of China.
- 佢喺北京讀書。keoi5 hai2 bei1 ging1 duk6 syu1.He studies in Beijing.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their next holiday destination.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung家明，你下次想去邊度？gaa1 ming4, nei5 ha6 ci3 soeng2 heoi3 bin1 dou6?Ka Ming, where do you want to go next time?
- 家明 Ka Ming我想去北京睇故宮。ngo5 soeng2 heoi3 bei3 ging1 tai2 gu3 gung1.I want to go to Beijing to see the Forbidden City.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung北京好遠，要飛機去。bei3 ging1 hou2 jyun5, jiu3 fei1 gei1 heoi3.Beijing is very far, you have to fly there.
- 家明 Ka Ming唔緊要，我好想去。m4 gan2 jiu3, ngo5 hou2 soeng2 heoi3.It doesn't matter, I really want to go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beijing” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
