坐
co⁵
The Cantonese verb for 'sit' is 坐 (co⁵).
坐 describes the action of a person being in a position where the upper body is upright and the legs are supported. Beyond the physical act of sitting, it is also used to express riding or taking a form of transportation, such as a car, bus or train.
Meaning: of a person, be in a position in which the upper body is upright and the legs are supported (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
In colloquial Cantonese, the verb 坐 is often followed by the directional complement 低 to form 坐低, which means 'sit down'.
How do you pronounce it?
co⁵
Did you know?
- Traditional Cantonese culture involves 坐月子, or 'sitting the month'. This refers to a strict period of postpartum recovery and confinement for new mothers.
- In Cantonese, 坐 is used to describe serving time in prison. A person would say they are 坐監 to mean they are 'sitting' in jail.
- The phrase 坐山觀虎鬥 literally means 'sitting on a mountain to watch tigers fight'. It is used to describe someone who stays neutral in a conflict to see who wins.
Examples in context
- 我想你坐低。I want you to sit down.This sentence shows how to use 坐 to tell someone to sit down.Tatoeba #5730002 by nickyeow, translation #2011798 by CK
- 不如坐低吖。Why don't we sit down?This sentence shows how to use 坐 in a suggestion to sit down.Tatoeba #6103533 by nickyeow, translation #2281886 by CK
- 我想坐非吸煙區。I would like to sit in the non-smoking section.This sentence demonstrates using 坐 to indicate where one would like to sit in a specific section.Tatoeba #843872 by nickyeow, translation #18812 by CK
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A woman and a man are at a coffee shop.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit呢度仲有位，你坐啦。nei1 dou6 zung6 jau5 wai2, nei5 co5 laa1.There are still seats here, please sit.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting唔該，我想坐喺呢度。m4 goi1, ngo5 soeng2 co5 hai2 nei1 dou6.Thank you, I want to sit here.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit好呀，雅婷，我想坐喺窗邊。hou2 aa3, ngaa5 ting4, ngo5 soeng2 co5 hai2 coeng1 bin1.Okay, Ting, I want to sit by the window.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting得，俊傑，坐低啦。dak1, zeon3 kit3, co5 dai1 laa1.Sure, Chun Kit, sit down.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sit” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
