聽 / 听
teng¹, ting¹
To listen in Cantonese is 聽 / 听 (teng¹, ting¹), which is the most common and versatile term for this action.
The verb 聽 is used to express the act of paying attention to a sound. It can be used directly with an object, such as in the phrase 聽音樂 to mean 'listen to music'.
Meaning: to pay attention to a sound (verb)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While 聽 / 听 is the standard term, you may encounter 聆聽 in formal contexts to convey a sense of attentive listening. In casual settings, the phrase 听吓 is used to say 'listen' informally.
How does it change in a sentence?
In colloquial speech, you can add the aspect marker 下 (haa5) after the verb to create 聽下, which means to listen for a short duration or to listen for a moment.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is teng¹, ting¹.
Did you know?
- The word for 'tomorrow' in Cantonese is 聽日, which literally translates as 'listen day' or 'hearing day'.
- In some Cantonese contexts, 'to listen' can be used to describe being 'obedient' to a parent or elder, such as in the phrase 'listen to your mother'.
- When using the colloquial 聽下, the addition of the particle 下 does not just mean 'for a moment' but can change the tone to make a command sound more polite and less abrupt.
Examples in context
- 聽下我話先Listen to what I'm saying first.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “listen” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
