星期日
sing¹ kei⁴ jat⁶
Sunday in Cantonese is expressed as 星期日 (sing¹ kei⁴ jat⁶). Wiktionary also lists 禮拜日 / 礼拜日 (lai⁵ baai³ jat⁶).
Meaning: day of the week (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 星期日 | sing¹ kei⁴ jat⁶ |
| 禮拜日 / 礼拜日 | lai⁵ baai³ jat⁶ |
The phrase is used to refer to the specific day of the week, Sunday.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 星期日 literally means 'week day sun'.
Which one should you use?
While both 星期日 and 禮拜日 refer to Sunday, 星期日 is the standard term, whereas 禮拜日 is more colloquial and commonly used in spoken Cantonese.
How do you pronounce it?
sing¹ kei⁴ jat⁶
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese calendars, the concept of a 'seven-day week' was imported. Before this, the Chinese used a 'ten-day cycle' called 旬, which has no equivalent to 'Sunday'.
- The colloquial term 禮拜日 reflects a historical connection to Western religious influence, as 禮拜 literally means 'to worship' or 'to perform religious rites'.
- If you use the term 禮拜 alone as a noun, it functions as a synonym for 'week' in many spoken Cantonese contexts, much like 'Sunday' is part of that unit.
Examples in context
- 聽日係星期日。Tomorrow is Sunday.The first sentence shows how to use 星期日 to state that tomorrow is Sunday.Tatoeba #593156 by nickyeow, translation #506460 by rtomharper
- 我星期日唔喺屋企。I'm not in on Sunday.The second sentence demonstrates the use of 星期日 to say someone is not at home on Sunday.Tatoeba #5734938 by nickyeow, translation #5528538 by Giselle128F
- 我星期日晏晝三點會嚟探你。I'll come and see you at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.The third sentence illustrates using 星期日 when discussing a specific time on Sunday.Tatoeba #471513 by nickyeow, translation #281856 by CK
- 你今個星期日做乜嘢呀？What are you doing this Sunday?
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are planning a meal together.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan我哋星期日去食飯好唔好？ngo5 dei6 sing1 kei4 jat6 heoi3 sik6 faan6 hou2 m4 hou2?How about we go for a meal this Sunday?
- 志強 Chi Keung星期日我應該有時間。sing1 kei4 jat6 ngo5 jing1 goi1 jau5 si4 gaan3.I should have time on Sunday.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan咁我預約星期日中午十二點。gam2 ngo5 jyu6 joek3 sing1 kei4 jat6 zung1 ng2 zau3 sap6 ji6 dim2.Then I will book it for Sunday at 12 noon.
- 志強 Chi Keung好，到時見！hou2, dou3 si4 gin3!Great, see you then!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “Sunday” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
