寫字樓 / 写字楼
se² zi⁶ lau⁴
In Cantonese, the word for office can be expressed in several ways depending on the context. The default form is 寫字樓 / 写字楼 (se² zi⁶ lau⁴). Wiktionary also lists 辦公室 / 办公室 (baan⁶ gung¹ sat¹) and 事務所 / 事务所 (si⁶ mou⁶ so²).
Meaning: room(s) or building used for non-manual work (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 寫字樓 / 写字楼 | se² zi⁶ lau⁴ |
| 辦公室 / 办公室 | baan⁶ gung¹ sat¹ |
| 事務所 / 事务所 | si⁶ mou⁶ so² |
While 辦公室 / 办公室 is the standard term for an office, 事務所 / 事务所 is typically used for professional service offices, such as law firms or accounting firms.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 寫字樓 / 写字楼 literally means 'writing characters building'.
Which one should you use?
辦公室 / 办公室 is the standard term for office in Cantonese. 事務所 / 事务所 is typically used for professional service offices, such as law firms or accounting firms.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for 寫字樓 / 写字楼 is se² zi⁶ lau⁴.
Did you know?
- The word 樓 in 寫字樓 specifically refers to a multi-story building, reflecting Hong Kong's vertical urban landscape.
- Unlike English, where 'office' can refer to a political position, Cantonese uses entirely different terms for a 'government office' or 'official post'.
- In a professional Cantonese context, if you say you work in a 事務所 / 事务所, people will immediately assume you are a licensed professional like a lawyer or architect.
Examples in context
- 我的辦公室在二樓。My office is on the second floor.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “office” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
