How to Say "Meditate" in Cantonese

冥想

ming5 soeng2

To meditate in Cantonese is 冥想 (ming5 soeng2).

冥想 is a verb meaning to come to a deep rest while still remaining conscious.

Meaning: to come to a deep rest while still remaining conscious (verb)

Which one should you use?

While 冥想 is the general term for meditating, 打坐 is a more specific term used to refer to the practice of seated meditation.

ming5 soeng2

The character 冥 (ming4) in 冥想 carries an ancient connotation of the 'dark' or 'underworld', suggesting that the meditation involves looking into the deep, unseen shadows of the mind.
The specific term for seated meditation, 打坐 (daa2 zo6), literally translates to 'hitting the seat', which can sound surprisingly aggressive to an English speaker.
If you are practicing meditation to clear your mind of clutter, a Cantonese speaker might use the term 放空 (fong3 hung1), which literally means 'to let empty', a phrase commonly used by younger generations to describe 'zoning out' or mental relaxation.

佢每日都會喺公園冥想。
keoi5 mui5 jat6 dou1 wui5 hai2 gung1 jyun2 ming4 soeng2.
He meditates in the park every day.

A man and a woman are talking about stress relief in a cafe.

美玲 Mei Ling

你最近壓力大嗎？
nei5 zeoi3 gan6 aat3 lik6 daai6 maa1?
Have you been under a lot of stress lately?
志強 Chi Keung

係呀，所以我會冥想嚟放鬆。
hai6 aa3, so2 ji5 ngo5 wui5 ming4 soeng2 lai4 fong3 sung1.
Yes, so I meditate to relax.
美玲 Mei Ling

咁好呀，個方法好有效。
gam2 hou2 aa3, go3 fong3 faat3 hou2 jau5 haau6.
That's good, that method is very effective.
志強 Chi Keung

係，我覺得精神好咗好多。
hai6, ngo5 gok3 dak1 zing1 san4 hou2 zo2 hou2 do1.
Yes, I feel much better mentally.

Sources

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