面試 / 面试
In Cantonese, the English phrase 'interview' is translated as 面試 / 面试.
The term 面試 / 面试 is used for a formal meeting for the assessment of a candidate or applicant. For more specific contexts, you can use 求職面試 to mean a job seeking interview, which is the most common term for a job interview or 工作面試 to emphasize the aspect of a job-related interview.
Meaning: a formal meeting for the assessment of a candidate or applicant (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 面試 is composed of 面 (face) and 試 (test/try), which literally means 'face-to-face test'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun 面試 can also be used as a verb meaning 'to interview'. If you want to say 'to conduct an interview', you can use the phrase 進行面試 and if you are the candidate wanting to say 'to attend an interview', you can use 參加面試.
Did you know?
- If a candidate is 'brushed off' or fails an interview quickly, Cantonese speakers might describe the experience as being 秒殺, which literally means 'killed in a second'.
- In Hong Kong, it is common to see the phrase 面試 used in the context of school admissions, where the 'interview' is often a high-pressure performance involving games or riddles for young children.
- In Cantonese culture, the 'face' part of 面試 ties into the broader concept of 面子 (face), where maintaining dignity and social standing during the interaction is as important as the answers given.
Examples in context
- 我約咗個朋友一齊去試工。I made an appointment with a friend to go for a job interview together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “interview” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
