好靚
hou2 leng3
The Cantonese phrase for "so beautiful" is 好靚 (hou2 leng3).
You can use 好靚 to describe many things that are visually pleasing, including people, objects, scenery or clothes.
What does it mean word for word?
好 (hou2) literally means 'very' or 'good', and 靚 (leng3) means 'beautiful' or 'pretty'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Guangzhou, people may use 好漂亮 to express the sentiment of beauty. In certain parts of Hong Kong, 好靚啊 is used to mean 'so beautiful'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the expression sound more natural and enthusiastic in spoken Cantonese, you can add the sentence-final particle 呀 (aa3) to the end, resulting in 好靚呀.
How do you pronounce it?
hou2 leng3
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, 靚 can be used to describe a 'good deal' or a 'bargain' when shopping, regardless of the item's appearance.
- Depending on the context, 靚 can be used to describe the quality of a voice, even though it literally refers to visual beauty.
- In Cantonese, the character 靚 is often used in slang to describe something that is 'cool' or 'excellent', moving beyond simple physical beauty to describe a high-quality situation or a clever idea.
Examples in context
- 呢度嘅風景好靚。nei1 dou6 ge3 fung1 ging2 hou2 leng3.The scenery here is so beautiful.
- 佢今日著得好靚。keoi5 gam1 jat6 zoek3 dak1 hou2 leng3.She is dressed so beautifully today.
- 嗰件衫好靚呀。go2 zin6 saam1 hou2 leng3 aa3.That piece of clothing is so beautiful.
Example conversation
Ya Ting and Jun Jie are visiting an art gallery.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting呢幅畫好靚。ni1 fuk1 waa2 hou2 leng3.This painting is so beautiful.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit係呀，啲顏色好正。hai6 aa3, di1 jan4 sik1 hou2 zing3.Yes, the colors are great.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting你想唔想買落嚟？nei5 soeng2 m4 soeng2 maai5 lok6 lai4?Do you want to buy it?
- 俊傑 Chun Kit太貴喇，我買唔起。taai3 gwai3 laa3, ngo5 maai5 m4 hei2.It's too expensive, I can't afford it.
