賣嗮 / 卖嗮
maai⁶ saai³
The English phrase 'sold out' is translated into Cantonese as 賣嗮 / 卖嗮 (maai⁶ saai³). Wiktionary also lists 售罄 (sau⁶ hing³).
Meaning: completely sold (adj)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 賣嗮 / 卖嗮 | maai⁶ saai³ | |
| 售罄 | sau⁶ hing³ | formal |
The phrase is used to indicate that something is completely sold.
What does it mean word for word?
The form 賣嗮 is composed of the verb 賣 (to sell) and the particle 嗮 (all/completely).
Which one should you use?
In everyday spoken Cantonese, such as when talking to a shopkeeper or a friend, use 賣嗮. For formal written contexts, such as official announcements, signage or news reports, use 售罄.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several ways to express this depending on the setting. 賣晒咗 is informal. For formal situations, you can use 售罄, 完售 or 已經售罄 to mean 'already sold out'. Additionally, the informal phrase 冇啦 can be used to mean 'no more' or 'nothing left'.
How do you pronounce it?
maai⁶ saai³
Did you know?
- The spoken particle 嗮 is a Cantonese-specific variation of the word 晒, which originally referred to drying things in the sun. It evolved from 'drying everything' to meaning 'completely' or 'all'.
- In Hong Kong, if a product is 'sold out' due to extreme popularity, people often use the term 搶購 to describe the 'snatching' or 'scrambling' process that led to the shortage.
- The particle 晒 can be attached to almost any verb to mean 'totally', such as saying you are 'totally tired' or 'totally eaten'.
Examples in context
- 請問票已經售罄嗎？Excuse me, are the tickets already sold out?
- 呢隻手機賣晒咗㗎喇This mobile phone is sold out already.
- 冇啦，全部唔得啦No more, none of them are available.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sold out” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
