提醒
tai⁴ sing², tai⁴ seng²
The Cantonese verb for 'remind' is 提醒 (tai⁴ sing², tai⁴ seng²).
提醒 means to cause someone to experience a memory or to bring something to a person's notice. To say 'remind me', you place the object directly after the verb: 提醒我.
Meaning: cause one to experience a memory, bring to a person's notice (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that the action of reminding has been completed, you can add the aspect particle 咗 after the verb, resulting in 提醒咗.
How do you pronounce it?
tai⁴ sing², tai⁴ seng²
Did you know?
- To say something 'reminds me of' a person or place, Cantonese speakers do not use 提醒, but instead use the phrase 令我諗起, which literally means 'makes me think of'.
- In high-context Cantonese culture, repeatedly using 提醒 to a superior can be seen as overly aggressive or implying they are forgetful, so softer indirect language is often preferred.
- In Cantonese, the word 提醒 is composed of two characters: 提 meaning 'to lift' and 醒 meaning 'awake'. Literally, reminding someone is like lifting them into a state of wakefulness.
Examples in context
- 你要提醒我飲水。nei5 jiu3 tai4 sing1 ngo5 jam2 seoi2.You need to remind me to drink water.
- 唔該提醒我開會嘅時間。m4 goi1 tai4 sing1 ngo5 hoi1 wui6 ge3 si4 gaan3.Please remind me of the meeting time.
Example conversation
A colleague is checking the schedule with another colleague at the office.
- 子健 Tsz Kin唔該你今日可以提醒我交報告嗎？m4 goi1 nei5 gam1 jat6 ho2 ji5 tai4 sing1 ngo5 gaau1 bou3 gou3 maa1?Could you please remind me to submit the report today?
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan冇問題，我會喺下午三點提醒你。mou5 man6 tai6, ngo5 wui5 hai2 haa6 ng5 saam1 dim2 tai4 sing1 nei5.No problem, I will remind you at three in the afternoon.
- 子健 Tsz Kin唔該晒你，嘉欣。m4 goi1 saai3 nei5, kaa1 jan1.Thank you very much, Ka Yan.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan唔使客氣，子健。m4 sai2 haak3 hei3, zi2 gin6.You're welcome, Zi Kin.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “remind” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
