護照 / 护照
wu⁶ ziu³
The English word "passport" is 護照 / 护照 (wu⁶ ziu³) in Cantonese.
護照 / 护照 refers to the official document used for foreign travel.
Meaning: official document for foreign travel (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 護 (wu⁶), meaning "to protect/guard" and 照 (ziu3), meaning "permit/certificate/photo". Literally, it is a "protection permit".
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is wu⁶ ziu³.
Did you know?
- In Hong Kong, people often use the English word 'passport' even while speaking Cantonese, rather than saying 護照.
- The character 照 in 護照 also means 'to shine' or 'to reflect', which is why the same character is used for a 'photograph' 相片 / 照片.
- The word 護 (wu6) is also the first character in the word for 'nursing' (護士 wu6 si6), connecting the concept of 'protection' to the idea of care and guarding.
Example sentences for Cantonese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “passport” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
