貴 / 贵
gwai³
The Cantonese word for 'expensive' is 貴 / 贵 (gwai³).
貴 / 贵 is an adjective used to describe something that has a high price or cost. A common way to express that something is 'very expensive' is to add 好 before the word, resulting in 好貴 / 好贵.
Meaning: having a high price or cost (adj)
Which one should you use?
The opposite of 貴 / 贵 (expensive) is 平 / 平 (cheap).
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn the adjective 貴 / 贵 into a question meaning 'is it expensive?', you can use the pattern 'adjective + 唔 + adjective', forming 貴唔貴 / 贵唔贵.
How do you pronounce it?
gwai³
Did you know?
- When expressing that something is 'too expensive' in a way that is truly unreasonable, Cantonese speakers often use the phrase 貴到死, which literally means 'expensive to death'.
- While 貴 means 'expensive', it is also the standard polite way to refer to someone's surname or name, such as in the phrase 貴姓, meaning 'honoured surname'.
- While 平 means 'cheap', it also means 'flat' or 'equal', reflecting an ancient logic that something level is more accessible or fair.
Examples in context
- 呢個手錶好貴嘅！This watch is very expensive!
- 精品店的東西都好貴嘅。The items in the boutique are all very expensive.
- 好貴㗎嘞！So expensive!
- 不係好平啊，好貴㗎喎！It's not cheap, it's so expensive!
- 呢件衫好貴 / 呢件衫好贵This piece of clothing is very expensive.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “expensive” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
