How to Say "Lie" in Cantonese

大話

daai6 waa6

In Cantonese, the English phrase 'lie' is expressed as 大話 (daai6 waa6).

The term 大話 refers to the act of telling an intentional untruth. You will often see it used in the phrase 講大話 to describe the actual action of lying.

Meaning: tell an intentional untruth (verb)

What does it mean word for word?

The term 大話 literally translates to 'big words' or 'big talk'.

In Cantonese, the verb 'to tell' (講) is typically used with 大話 to form the phrase for 'to lie', resulting in 講大話.

daai6 waa6

If a lie is so obvious that it is laughable, a speaker might use the term 吹水, which literally means 'blowing water', to describe bragging or telling unlikely stories.
In Cantonese culture, calling someone a 大話精 (literally 'lying spirit' or 'lying essence') is a common way to label a habitual liar.
In some Cantonese contexts, the phrase 講大話 can be used playfully among friends to mean 'you're kidding' rather than accusing someone of a moral failing.

你唔應該講大話。
You should not lie.
This sentence shows how to use the form 大話 in a negative command.
Tatoeba #506861 by nickyeow, translation #5401693 by sarefo
佢哋擺到明講咗大話。
It was obvious that they had told a lie.
This sentence uses the form 大話 to describe an obvious lie.
Tatoeba #425423 by nickyeow, translation #304927 by CK
故事嘅教訓係講大話係唔啱嘅。
The moral of the story is that it's wrong to lie.
This sentence uses the form 大話 to express a moral lesson regarding lying.
Tatoeba #6479218 by nickyeow, translation #6479222 by nickyeow
佢講嘅都係放屁，完全唔可信。
What he said is all lies, totally unreliable.
6 more sentences on Tatoeba

Sources

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