靚仔 / 靓仔
leng³ zai²
The Cantonese phrase for "handsome" is 靚仔 / 靓仔 (leng³ zai²).
靚仔 / 靓仔 is used to describe an attractive man. While it literally means a handsome guy, it is also frequently used as a colloquial vocative to address a male service worker, such as a waiter or a shop assistant, similar to saying "young man" or "buddy".
Meaning: of man: attractive (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 靚 (leng3), meaning "beautiful" or "pretty" and 仔 (zai2), which is a diminutive suffix often used for males or young people.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, the colloquial term 型仔 is frequently used to describe a good-looking person. In Guangdong Province, the term 靚佬 is often used to express that someone is handsome.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say someone is "very handsome", you add 好 (hou2) before the phrase, resulting in 好靚仔.
How do you pronounce it?
leng³ zai²
Did you know?
- Calling a male service worker 靚仔 is often a strategic social lubricant used by customers to receive better or faster service.
- The suffix 仔 in 靚仔 can be used ironically to describe someone who is trying too hard to look handsome or acting precocious.
- While 靚仔 is usually for men, the word 靚 (beautiful) is used in Cantonese to describe almost any attractive object, from a piece of jewelry to a well-plated dish of food.
Example sentences for Cantonese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “handsome” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
