老公
lou⁵ gung¹
The Cantonese word for husband is 老公 (lou⁵ gung¹). Wiktionary also lists 丈夫 (zoeng⁶ fu¹) and 先生 (sin¹ saang¹).
Meaning: male partner in marriage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 老公 | lou⁵ gung¹ |
| 丈夫 | zoeng⁶ fu¹ |
| 先生 | sin¹ saang¹ |
老公 is used to refer to one's own husband, and it is also frequently used by wives to address their husbands directly.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 老公 is composed of 老 (old/senior) and 公 (husband/public man), a common way to form affectionate or familiar terms for spouses.
Which one should you use?
老公 is the most common, colloquial way to say husband in daily conversation, 丈夫 is a more formal and written term for husband compared to the colloquial 老公. Additionally, 先生 is used as a polite way to refer to someone else's husband, similar to saying 'your husband' or 'Mr. [Name]' in a formal social context.
How do you pronounce it?
lou⁵ gung¹
Did you know?
- While 老公 is used affectionately, the component 公 (gūng¹) was historically used to refer to high-ranking officials or public figures.
- While 先生 is a polite term for husband, it is also the standard word for 'Mister' and 'teacher', creating a linguistic link between being a husband and being a person of respect.
- The word 丈夫 (husband) is shared with Mandarin, but in Cantonese, it is almost exclusively reserved for formal documents or very stiff speeches, whereas it is more common in spoken Mandarin.
Examples in context
- 佢唔鍾意佢老公。She disliked her husband.This sentence is useful for showing how to express a dislike for a husband using 老公.Tatoeba #5761381 by nickyeow, translation #388376 by CK
- 佢會係一個好老公。He'll be a good husband.This sentence is useful for describing the quality of being a good husband using 老公.Tatoeba #392944 by nickyeow, translation #241918 by CK
- 佢咩事都靠晒個老公。She depends on her husband for everything.This sentence is useful for showing dependency on a husband using 老公.Tatoeba #413240 by nickyeow, translation #311033 by CK
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting at a cafe about their weekend plans.
- 子健 Tsz Kin你老公呢個禮拜去咗邊呀？nei5 lou5 gong1 nei3 go3 lai1 wai4 heoi3 zo2 bin1 aa3?Where did your husband go this weekend?
- 美玲 Mei Ling我老公同朋友去咗旅行。ngo5 lou5 gong1 tung4 pang4 jau5 heoi3 zo2 lei5 gong3.My husband went traveling with some friends.
- 子健 Tsz Kin佢係咪好鍾意去旅行呀？keoi5 hai6 mai6 hou2 zung1 ji3 heoi3 lei5 gong3 aa3?Does he really like traveling?
- 美玲 Mei Ling係呀，佢好鍾意去玩。hai6 aa3, keoi5 hou2 zung1 ji3 heoi3 waan2.Yes, he loves going out to have fun.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “husband” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
