How to Say "This One" in Cantonese

呢個

ni1 go3

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

呢個 is used to identify or point to a specific person or object that is near the speaker.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of 呢 (ni1), meaning 'this' and 個 (go3), which is a general classifier for objects.

To say 'that one' instead of 'this one', replace the demonstrative 呢 (ni1) with 嗰 (go2).

When referring to a person politely, you replace the general classifier 個 (go3) with the respectful classifier 位 (wai2) to form 呢位.

ni1 go3

While 個 is the general classifier in 呢個, Cantonese has hundreds of specific classifiers. Using the wrong one can make a sentence sound unnatural or unintentionally funny to a native speaker.
The classifier 個 is so versatile that it can be used to count things that have no physical shape, such as 'this one' referring to a specific abstract idea or a dream.
While 個 (go3) is the standard way to say 'one' in 呢個, using it for a person can actually sound quite rude or overly casual in a professional setting.

呢個你可以自己keep返。
You can keep this one for yourself.
This sentence shows how to use 呢個 regarding keeping an object.
Tatoeba #5355292 by nickyeow, translation #55978 by CK
可以，呢個畀你。
Sure, this one is for you.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

A young man and woman are shopping for a gift in a store.

志強 Chi Keung

曉彤，你鍾意呢個嗎？
Hiu Tung, nei zung ji nei go maa?
晓彤, do you like this one?
曉彤 Hiu Tung

呢個好靚呀。
Nei go hou leng aa.
This one is very beautiful.
志強 Chi Keung

噉我買呢個畀你啦。
Dam ngo maai nei go bei nei laa.
Then I will buy this one for you.
曉彤 Hiu Tung

唔該晒呀，志強。
M goi saai aa, Zi Keung.
Thank you so much, 志強.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏