明天
ming⁴ tin¹
The English word 'tomorrow' is translated into Cantonese as 明天 (ming⁴ tin¹). Wiktionary also lists 聽日 / 听日 (ting¹ jat⁶) and 明日 (ming⁴ jat⁶).
Meaning: on the day after the present day (adv)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 明天 | ming⁴ tin¹ |
| 聽日 / 听日 | ting¹ jat⁶ |
| 明日 | ming⁴ jat⁶ |
All three forms are used to refer to the day after the present day as an adverb or a noun.
Which one should you use?
聽日 / 听日 is the most common way to say 'tomorrow' in everyday spoken Cantonese. 明天 is more formal and is frequently used in written Cantonese or formal news broadcasts. 明日 is a highly formal or literary term often found in classical texts, poetry or formal written announcements.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Macau and Hong Kong Region, ming tin is a common informal term for tomorrow.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
ming⁴ tin¹
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, the character for 'tomorrow' in 聽日 is 'listen' (聽), which creates a curious mental image of 'listening to the day'.
- The character 明 in 明天 is composed of the radicals for 'sun' and 'moon', symbolizing the light that comes after the night.
- If you use the formal 明日 in a text message to a close friend, it can come across as jokingly dramatic or unintentionally poetic.
Examples in context
- 我哋明日要去食燒味。We will go eat roasted meat tomorrow.
- 明天會落雨。ming1 tin1 wui5 lok6 jyu5.It will rain tomorrow.
- 我明天要返工。ngo5 ming1 tin1 jiu3 faan1 gung1.I have to go to work tomorrow.
- 明天見！ming1 tin1 gin3!See you tomorrow!
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a meeting schedule.
- 志強 Chi Keung雅婷，明天你有空嗎？jaa5 ting4, ming4 tin1 nei5 jau5 hung2 maa1?Ya Ting, are you free tomorrow?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting我有空，為什麼？ngo5 jau5 hung2, wai6 si2 mo1?I am free, why?
- 志強 Chi Keung明天我們一起開會。ming4 tin1 ngo5 mun4 jat1 hei2 hoi1 wui6.Let's have a meeting together tomorrow.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting好，沒問題。hou2, mut6 man6 tai4.Okay, no problem.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tomorrow” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
