女朋友
neoi⁵ pang⁴ jau⁵
In Cantonese, the phrase for girlfriend is 女朋友 (neoi⁵ pang⁴ jau⁵). Wiktionary also lists 條女 / 条女 (tiu⁴ neoi⁵).
Meaning: a female partner in a romantic relationship (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 女朋友 | neoi⁵ pang⁴ jau⁵ |
| 條女 / 条女 | tiu⁴ neoi⁵ |
The term refers to a female partner in a romantic relationship.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 女朋友 is composed of 女, meaning female and the components 朋 and 友, which together mean friend or companion.
Which one should you use?
女朋友 is the standard term used to mean girlfriend, whereas 條女 is a much more vulgar and objectifying way to refer to a woman or a girlfriend.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
女朋友 is the standard, polite way to refer to a girlfriend. In contrast, 條女 is highly informal, derogatory and used in a disrespectful or objectifying manner.
How do you pronounce it?
neoi⁵ pang⁴ jau⁵
Did you know?
- The component 朋 in 女朋友 originally referred to two birds flying side by side, symbolizing two people moving together in harmony.
- The classifier used for 'girlfriend' in 女朋友 is '個' (go3), but if one uses the derogatory 條女, the classifier changes to 條 (tiu4), which is typically used for long, flexible objects like fish or ropes.
- Younger generations in Hong Kong sometimes mix English into the phrase, using 'GF' as a spoken acronym even while speaking Cantonese.
Examples in context
- 我見過你女朋友。I met your girlfriend.This sentence demonstrates the use of 女朋友 to indicate meeting someone's girlfriend.Tatoeba #4646201 by kaenif, translation #257094 by CK
- 我唔鍾意你女朋友。I don't like your girlfriend.This sentence shows how to express a dislike for someone's 女朋友.Tatoeba #5375412 by nickyeow, translation #409324 by CM
- 佢個女朋友係日本人。His girlfriend is Japanese.This sentence is useful for describing the nationality of someone's 女朋友.Tatoeba #1399834 by nickyeow, translation #476845 by CK
- 我女朋友好靚呀！My girlfriend is very beautiful!
- 我嘅女朋友好有趣。My girlfriend is very interesting.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a recent date.
- 子健 Tsz Kin我尋日同我女朋友去咗睇戲。ngo5 cam4 jat6 tung4 ngo5 neoi5 pang4 jau5 heoi3 zo2 tai2 hei3.I went to see a movie with my girlfriend yesterday.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung係咩？你女朋友係咪好鍾意睇戲？hai6 me1? nei5 neoi5 pang4 jau5 hai6 mai6 hou2 zung1 ji3 tai2 hei3?Really? Does your girlfriend like movies a lot?
- 子健 Tsz Kin係，佢最鍾意睇浪漫電影。hai6, keoi5 zeoi3 zung1 ji3 tai2 long6 maan6 din6 jing2.Yes, she likes romantic movies the most.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung咁正！下次介紹佢畀我識啦。gam3 zeng3! ha6 ci4 gaai3 siu6 keoi5 bei2 ngo5 sik1 laa1.That's great! Introduce her to me next time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girlfriend” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
