How to Say "This Is" in Cantonese

呢個係

ni1 go3 hai6

The English phrase "this is" is translated into Cantonese as 呢個係 (ni1 go3 hai6).

呢個係 is used to identify specific objects or people.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of 呢個, meaning "this" or "this one" and 係, meaning "is".

呢個係 is used for identifying objects or people, whereas 呢度係 (ni1 dou6 hai6) means "this place is".

This phrase uses the classifier 個 to specify "this one", which is the standard way to refer to a specific object in Cantonese.

ni1 go3 hai6

Adding the particle 㗎 to the end of 呢個係… turns the statement into a gentle explanation or a way to correct someone's misunderstanding.
If you are pointing to a group of things rather than one, you cannot use 呢個係. You must use 呢啲係, where 啲 replaces 個 to indicate a plural quantity.
The word 係 has a double meaning and can be used alone to mean 'yes'. In this context, it functions as a confirmation of a fact rather than just a linking verb.

呢個係一句句子。
This is a sentence.
This sentence is useful for identifying a sentence using 呢個係.
Tatoeba #5375407 by nickyeow, translation #396738 by FeuDRenais
呢個係我個電郵地址。
This is my email address.
This sentence is useful for identifying an email address using 呢個係.
Tatoeba #1030369 by nickyeow, translation #948281 by CK
呢個係我嘅公司地址。
This is my business address.
Tatoeba #5942692 by nickyeow, translation #56209 by CK
呢個係我嘅新手機。
This is my new cellphone.
呢個係佢哋嘅食物。
This is their food.
12 more sentences on Tatoeba

A man shows a photo to a woman.

子健 Tsz Kin

曉彤，呢個係我細個嘅相。
hiu2 tung4, ni1 go3 hai6 ngo5 sai3 go3 ge3 soeng2.
曉彤, this is a photo of me when I was young.
曉彤 Hiu Tung

好可愛呀，子健！
hou2 ho2 oi3 aa1, zi2 gin6!
So cute, 子健!
子健 Tsz Kin

呢個係我以前住過嘅地方。
ni1 go3 hai6 ngo5 ji5 cin4 zyu6 gwo3 ge3 dei6 fong1.
This is the place where I used to live.
曉彤 Hiu Tung

風景真係好靚。
fung1 ging2 zan1 hai6 hou2 leng3.
The scenery is really beautiful.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏