大家好
daai6 gaa1 hou2
The English phrase "hello everyone" is expressed in Cantonese as 大家好 (daai6 gaa1 hou2).
The phrase 大家好 is commonly used by speakers when addressing an audience, such as starting a presentation or a speech.
Which one should you use?
各位好 is a more formal way to say "Hello, everyone." Other variations include 哈囉大家 for "Hello, everyone" and 嗨嗨嗨，各位 for "Hey, everyone!"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, 喂，大家好 is a variation used to say "Hello, everyone."
How do you pronounce it?
daai6 gaa1 hou2
Did you know?
- The word 家 in 大家 literally means 'family' or 'home', but when combined, it transforms into a collective pronoun meaning 'everyone'.
- In many Cantonese-speaking social circles, a greeting to a group is often accompanied by a slight, polite nod of the head rather than a wave. This subtle physical movement reinforces the respect intended in the verbal greeting.
- In casual Hong Kong Cantonese, you might hear people start a greeting with 喂 (wai3). While this sounds like 'hey' or 'hey you' in English, in a group greeting it is often just a filler used to grab the attention of the room.
Examples in context
- 大家好！daai6 gaai1 hou2!Hello everyone!
- 大家好，請坐。daai6 gaai1 hou2, cing2 co5.Hello everyone, please sit down.
- 大家好，我係新同事。daai6 gaai1 hou2, ngo5 hai6 san1 tung4 si6.Hello everyone, I am the new colleague.
Example conversation
Ka Ming is starting a presentation in front of a group.
- 家明 Ka Ming大家好，今日我想分享一下。daai6 gaa1 hou2, gam1 jat6 ngo5 soeng2 fan1 heong2 jat1 ha6.Hello everyone, I want to share something today.
- 美玲 Mei Ling家明，請開始啦。gaa1 ming4, cing2 hoi1 ci2 laa1.Ka Ming, please start.
- 家明 Ka Ming唔該美玲，我哋而家睇第一頁。m4 goi1 mei5 ling4, ngo5 dei6 ji4 gaa1 tai2 dai1 jip6.Thanks Mei Ling, let's look at the first page now.
- 美玲 Mei Ling冇問題，我哋聽住。mou5 man6 tai4, ngo5 dei6 ting1 zyu6.No problem, we are listening.
