問候
man6 hau6
The Cantonese word for "greeting" is 問候 (man6 hau6).
問候 is a noun that refers to an acknowledgement of a person's presence or their arrival.
Meaning: acknowledgement of a persons presence or arrival (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
man6 hau6
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, a 'greeting' often takes the form of a question about one's meal, such as 'Have you eaten?' (食咗飯未?), rather than a simple 'How are you?'
- The term 問候 can be used ironically in a phrase meaning 'to send regards', but in slang, 'sending regards' to someone can sometimes imply a threat or a confrontation.
- The word 候 in 問候 is the same character used in the word for 'waiting' (等候), suggesting a sense of 'waiting for news' or 'expecting a response'.
Examples in context
- 呢個係一種基本嘅問候。ni1 go3 hai6 jat1 zung2 bun2 gai1 ge3 man6 hau6.This is a basic greeting.
Example conversation
Two colleagues meet in the office hallway.
- 志強 Chi Keung早晨！美玲，你今日好早喎。zou san! Mei Ling, nei gam jat hou zou wo.Good morning! Mei Ling, you're very early today.
- 美玲 Mei Ling早晨，志強。多謝你嘅問候。zou san, Zi Keung. do ze nei ge man hau.Good morning, Zi Keung. Thanks for the greeting.
- 志強 Chi Keung唔客氣。準備好開會未？m haak hei. can bei hou hoi wui mei?You're welcome. Are you ready for the meeting?
- 美玲 Mei Ling準備好啦，我哋行啦。can bei hou la, ngo dei hang la.I'm ready, let's go.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
