早晨
zou² san⁴
The English phrase "good morning" is translated into Cantonese as 早晨 (zou² san⁴).
While 早晨 literally means "early morning", it is used as a standard greeting when seeing someone for the first time in the morning.
Meaning: when seeing someone for the first time in the morning (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the characters for "early" (早) and "morning" (晨).
Which one should you use?
The form 早晨 is the standard greeting, but you may also hear the truncated, informal version 早 used among friends, family and colleagues.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In casual settings, you can simply say the two characters 早晨 alone as a greeting. 早晨 is a common and neutral way to say "good morning".
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the sentence-final particle 呀 (aa3) to the end of the greeting, resulting in 早晨呀, makes the phrase sound more friendly and natural in spoken Cantonese.
How do you pronounce it?
zou² san⁴
Did you know?
- In traditional Cantonese culture, it was once more common to greet someone by asking 食咗飯未 ('Have you eaten yet?') rather than using a time-of-day greeting like 早晨.
- While 早晨 is common, many people in Cantonese-speaking areas use the English phrase 'Good morning' even when speaking Cantonese, a phenomenon known as 'code-switching'.
- In Hong Kong, you might see a stranger or a colleague carry a breakfast of 'pineapple buns' or 'milk tea' while greeting you with 早晨.
Examples in context
- 佢好開心咁話：大家早晨呀！She said happily, "Good morning, everybody!"This example shows how to use 早晨 when addressing a group of people.Tatoeba #4778571 by kaenif, translation #6403746 by alishalikescats
- 早晨。Good morning!This example shows the use of 早晨 as a standalone greeting.Tatoeba #402878 by nickyeow, translation #329713 by YURY0608
- 早晨！你今日點呀？Good morning! How are you today?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues meet at the office entrance.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung子健，早晨！Zi Gin, zou san!Good morning, Zi健!
- 子健 Tsz Kin早晨，曉彤。zou san, Hiu Tung.Good morning, Hiu Tung.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung你食咗早餐未呀？nei sik zo zou caan mei aa?Have you eaten breakfast yet?
- 子健 Tsz Kin未呀，我依家去買。mei aa, ngo ji gaa heoi maai.Not yet, I'm going to buy some now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
