成功
The English word 'success' is translated into Cantonese as 成功.
成功 is the most common and general term for success in Cantonese. While it refers to the achievement of a goal or aim, other terms can capture different nuances: 順利 is used to convey smoothness or the idea of something going well, which often leads to success and 搞掂 is a colloquial way to express that you have successfully finished or completed something.
Meaning: achievement of one's aim or goal (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 成功 is composed of 成, meaning to become or complete and 功, meaning achievement or merit.
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe someone or something as very successful, place the adverb 好 before 成功. To indicate that a success has been achieved in the past or is a completed action, add the aspect marker 咗 after the verb to form 成功咗. To further emphasize that the success has already been realized or that a new state has been reached, you can add 喇 to the end, resulting in 成功咗喇.
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, the character 功 in 成功 is the exact same character used in the term for 'kung fu', suggesting that success is viewed as the fruit of disciplined merit.
- Using the formal word 成功 to describe a trivial task, such as successfully opening a jar, can be used as a form of irony or sarcasm.
- While 成功 is the standard term for success, Cantonese speakers often prefer the word 順利 to wish someone success, which literally means 'smooth'.
Examples in context
- 這次合作順利完成。This collaboration was successfully completed.
- 我終於搞掂呢份報告。I finally finished this report.
- 佢嘅成功係靠努力換嚟嘅。keoi5 ge3 sing4 gung1 hai6 kaau3 nou5 lik6 wun4 lai4 ge3.His success was earned through hard work.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “success” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
