去
heoi³
The Cantonese word for 'go' is 去 (heoi³).
去 is the most common and general way to say 'go' in Cantonese, specifically to describe moving through space from one place to another. It is used when the focus is on the destination or the act of going to a specific place.
Meaning: to move through space (especially from one place to another) (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 去 is used to indicate going to a destination, the word 嚟 (lei4) is used when you mean 'to come'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To negate the verb 去 and say 'not go', place the negative particle 唔 (m4) directly before it, resulting in 唔去.
How do you pronounce it?
heoi³
Did you know?
- When telling someone to 'go away' or 'get lost', Cantonese speakers use the phrase 去死 (heoi2 sei2), which literally translates to 'go die'.
- The word 去 can be used to mean 'remove' or 'get rid of', such as in the phrase 去油 to mean 'degrease' or 'remove oil'.
- In Cantonese, 去 is often used as a 'directional complement' at the end of a sentence to show that an action is moving away from the speaker, regardless of whether the main verb is 'go'.
Examples in context
- 你唔好去死？You might as well go kill yourself.This sentence shows the use of 去.Tatoeba #1553748 by nickyeow, translation #1553747 by nickyeow
- 佢需要過去。She must go there.Tatoeba #4544291 by kaenif, translation #311077 by CK
- 我決定唔去。I decided not to go.Tatoeba #5761248 by nickyeow, translation #241095 by CK
- 我要去商店買東西 (ngo5 jiu3 heoi3 soeng1 dim3 maai5 dung1 si6)I want to go to the store to buy things.
- 走開啦！ (zau2 hoi1 laa1)Go away!
- 126 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding where to eat lunch.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung你想去邊度食飯？nei5 soeng2 heoi3 bin1 dou6 sik6 faan2?Where do you want to go to eat?
- 子健 Tsz Kin我哋去嗰間新嘅茶餐廳啦。ngo5 dei6 heoi3 go2 gaan1 san1 ge3 ca4 caan1 cung1 laa1.Let's go to that new cafe.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung好啊，而家就去。hou2 aa3, yi4 gaa1 zau6 heoi3.Okay, let's go now.
- 子健 Tsz Kin行路去定係搭車？haang4 lou6 heoi3 ding6 hai6 daap3 ce1?Should we walk there or take a car?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “go” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
