How to Say "Boyfriend" in Cantonese

男朋友

naam⁴ pang⁴ jau⁵

The Cantonese word for boyfriend is 男朋友 (naam⁴ pang⁴ jau⁵). Wiktionary also lists 條仔 / 条仔 (tiu⁴ jai²).

Meaning: male partner in a romantic relationship (noun)

Ways to say it

“boyfriend” in Cantonese
Cantonese	Romanization (Wiktionary)
男朋友	naam⁴ pang⁴ jau⁵
條仔 / 条仔	tiu⁴ jai²

The term refers to a male partner in a romantic relationship.

男朋友 is composed of 男 (male), 朋 (friend) and 友 (companion/friend).

男朋友 is the standard, neutral term for boyfriend, whereas 條仔 / 条仔 is highly informal slang.

naam⁴ pang⁴ jau⁵

The informal slang 條仔 uses the classifier 條, which is usually reserved for long, thin, flexible objects like fish, ropes, or even pants.
In very casual slang, some may refer to a boyfriend as 嗰個 ('that one') to keep the relationship a secret or to avoid using a formal label in public.
The character 朋 in 男朋友 originally referred to a person walking side-by-side with another, emphasizing a sense of equal companionship.

我係你男朋友。
I'm your boyfriend.
This sentence is useful for stating your relationship to someone using 男朋友.
Tatoeba #5359881 by nickyeow, translation #2248321 by CK
你買咗啲咩俾你男朋友呀？
What did you buy for your boyfriend?
This sentence is useful for asking what someone bought for their 男朋友.
Tatoeba #642594 by nickyeow, translation #33756 by CK
阿Tom係我第一個男朋友。
Tom was my first boyfriend.
This sentence is useful for describing a past relationship using 男朋友.
Tatoeba #1579565 by nickyeow, translation #1140954 by CK
6 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are chatting at a cafe about dating.

美玲 Mei Ling

你有男朋友未呀？
nei5 jau5 naam4 pang4 jau5 mei6 aa3?
Do you have a boyfriend yet?
志強 Chi Keung

未呀，我仲單身。
mei6 aa3, ngo5 zung6 daan1 san1.
Not yet, I am still single.
美玲 Mei Ling

我男朋友今日唔返工。
ngo5 naam4 pang4 jau5 gam1 jat6 m4 faan1 gung1.
My boyfriend is not working today.
志強 Chi Keung

佢病咗呀？
keoi5 bing6 zo2 aa3?
Is he sick?

Sources

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