真係 / 真系
zan¹ hai⁶
The Cantonese word for really is 真係 / 真系 (zan¹ hai⁶).
真係 / 真系 is used to emphasize an adjective or a verb to express that something is truly the case.
Meaning: actually (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 真 (true) and 係 (to be), literally meaning 'truly is'.
Which one should you use?
While 真係 / 真系 emphasizes a state or fact, it is distinct from 真呀 (zan1 aa3), which is used more as a question particle to mean 'Really?' or 'Is that so?'
How do you pronounce it?
zan¹ hai⁶
Did you know?
- In Hong Kong, you might hear 真係 followed by an English word like 'serious' or 'crazy'. This code-switching is so common that the Cantonese 'really' often anchors a sentence that ends in English.
- In casual text messaging, many speakers omit the complex character 係 and simply use the character 系 to write 真系, even though the latter is technically a different word in formal writing.
- There is a subtle difference between 真係 and the formal 實在. While both mean 'really', 實在 is reserved for writing or very formal speeches and is almost never used in a casual conversation.
Examples in context
- 我確實欣賞你的努力。I do appreciate your efforts.
- 佢真係咩都唔知。He really doesn't know anything.
- 我真係好開心I am really happy
Sources
- Wiktionary, “really” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
