行山
haang⁴ saan¹
Hiking in Cantonese is expressed as 行山 (haang⁴ saan¹). Wiktionary also lists 遠足 / 远足 (jyun⁵ zuk¹).
Meaning: walking (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 行山 | haang⁴ saan¹ |
| 遠足 / 远足 | jyun⁵ zuk¹ |
The term 行山 is used as both a noun to describe the activity and a verb meaning to go hiking. You may also encounter 登山, which literally translates to "mountain climbing" but is often used to describe hiking or trekking in general. For a weekend hiking trip, you can use the phrase 週末郊遊, which literally means "weekend countryside outing".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 行山 literally means "walking mountains".
Which one should you use?
行山 is the most common way to refer to the recreational activity of hiking in daily conversation. In contrast, 遠足 is more commonly used to refer to a school excursion or a planned organized outing.
How do you pronounce it?
haang⁴ saan¹
Did you know?
- In Cantonese culture, 遠足 is so closely tied to school memories that using it as an adult for a casual hike can sound like you are reminiscing about childhood.
- In Cantonese, the verb 行 (to walk) is actually pronounced 'hang⁴' instead of the standard Mandarin 'xing'.
- The character 山 (mountain) in 行山 is often used in Cantonese to denote any high elevation, even if you are just walking up a steep hill in the city.
Examples in context
- 我想去行山I want to go hiking
- 我哋聽日去行山。ngo5 dei6 ting1 jat6 heoi3 hang4 saan1.We are going hiking tomorrow.
- 佢好鍾意行山。koe5 hou2 zung1 ji3 hang4 saan1.He really likes hiking.
Example conversation
Two friends are planning their weekend activity.
- 家明 Ka Ming美玲，你星期六有冇時間行山？mei5 ling4, nei5 sing1 lik6 jau5 mou5 si4 gaan3 haang4 saan1?Meiling, do you have time to go hiking this Saturday?
- 美玲 Mei Ling我想去，但係我唔知去邊度好。ngo5 soeng2 heoi3, daan6 si6 ngo5 m4 zi1 heoi3 bin1 dou6 hou2.I want to, but I don't know where is a good place to go.
- 家明 Ka Ming我哋可以去大帽山行山。ngo5 dei6 ho2 ji5 heoi3 daai6 mou6 saan1 haang4 saan1.We can go hiking at Big Hat Hill.
- 美玲 Mei Ling好啊，我星期六見你。hou2 aa3, ngo5 sing1 lik6 gin3 nei5.Sure, I will see you on Saturday.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hiking” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
