Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 老師 / 老师 | lou⁵ si¹ |
| 教師 / 教师 | gaau³ si¹ |
| 先生 | sin¹ saang¹ |
In Cantonese, different words are used depending on whether you are referring to the profession or addressing a person directly.
Which one should you use?
老師 / 老师 (lou⁵ si¹) is the most common way to address or refer to a teacher in social or classroom settings. In contrast, 教師 / 教师 (gaau³ si¹) is a formal term used specifically to refer to the profession of teaching or to a teacher as a job title, rather than as a way to address them directly. While 先生 (sin¹ saang¹) can be used as a respectful way to address a male teacher, it is more commonly used to mean 'Mr.' or 'Sir' in general contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
lou⁵ si¹
When do people say it?
In Cantonese culture, it is common for students to address their teachers simply as 老師 / 老师 (lou⁵ si¹) instead of using the teacher's name.
Did you know?
- The character 師 (si¹) in 老師 (lou⁵ si¹) was originally related to a military commander. This reflects an ancient view of teachers as leaders who guide and command a group.
- In Hong Kong, students often mix English and Cantonese by addressing their teacher as 'Teacher' followed by their surname, which is a unique local linguistic blend not found in standard Cantonese.
- While 先生 (sin¹ saang¹) is used for male teachers, it originally meant 'born first'. It was historically used to address anyone with superior knowledge or status.
Example sentences for Cantonese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “teacher” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
