事業 / 事业
si⁶ jip⁶
In Cantonese, 'business' can be translated as 事業 / 事业 (si⁶ jip⁶) or 企業 / 企业 depending on the context.
Meaning: commercial enterprise or establishment (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 事業 / 事业 | si⁶ jip⁶ |
| 企業 / 企业 | kei⁵ jip⁶ |
Use 事業 / 事业 when referring to a career, a significant undertaking or a life's work. Use 企業 / 企业 when referring to a specific commercial enterprise, corporation or formal business entity. For everyday commercial dealings or trade, such as 'doing business', the term 生意 is more common.
Which one should you use?
事業 / 事业 focuses on the abstract concept of a career or a grand undertaking. In contrast, 企業 / 企业 refers specifically to a structured commercial enterprise or corporation.
How do you pronounce it?
si⁶ jip⁶
Did you know?
- When talking about a 'big business' or a 'great enterprise', Cantonese speakers might use the term 大業 (daai6 jip6), which carries a much more heroic or monumental connotation than the English 'big business'.
- The character 企 in 企業 depicts a person standing, implying the 'establishment' or 'standing up' of an organization.
- The term 生意 (si1 sangi1), meaning 'business' or 'trade', is often used in a way that suggests 'luck' or 'fortune' when discussing the success of a shop.
Examples in context
- 我嘅生意做得很好。My business is doing very well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “business” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
