禮物 / 礼物
lai⁵ mat⁶
The Cantonese word for "gift" is 禮物 / 礼物 (lai⁵ mat⁶).
The term refers to something given to another voluntarily and without charge. To express the action of giving a gift, you use the verb sung³ (to give/send) before lai⁵ mat⁶ to form the phrase 送禮物.
Meaning: something given to another voluntarily, without charge (noun)
Which one should you use?
The simplified character form 礼物 is used in mainland China.
How do you pronounce it?
lai⁵ mat⁶
Did you know?
- The character 禮 is derived from a pictograph showing a ritual vessel and a knife, originally referring to the ritual slaughter of animals for ancestral worship.
- It is customary to avoid giving 禮物 in sets of four because the word for 'four' (四) sounds like the word for 'death' (死).
- It is considered polite in many Cantonese social circles to modestly decline a lai⁵ mat⁶ one or two times before finally accepting it.
Examples in context
- 這是一份禮物，祝你生日快樂。This is a gift, wishing you a happy birthday.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gift” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
