明白
ming⁴ baak⁶
To understand in Cantonese is 明白 (ming⁴ baak⁶).
明白 is a verb meaning to grasp the meaning of something. It can also be used as a standalone utterance to signal that you have understood an instruction or a point in a conversation, effectively meaning "I understand" or "Understood."
Meaning: to grasp the meaning of (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 明 (ming4), meaning "bright" or "clear" and 白 (baak6), meaning "white" or "plain/clear".
Which one should you use?
While 明白 refers to the cognitive grasp of a concept or meaning, the phrase 聽唔明 (teng1 m4 ming4) is used specifically when you cannot understand something because you did not hear it clearly or do not understand the spoken words.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that the state of understanding has been achieved, you can add the aspect particle 咗 (zo2) after the verb to say 明白咗 (understood / have understood).
How do you pronounce it?
ming⁴ baak⁶
Did you know?
- The character 明 (ming4) is composed of the radicals for 'sun' and 'moon', visually representing the concept of total illumination or brightness to signify understanding.
- Contrary to English, where 'I understand' can be used for empathy, Cantonese speakers are more likely to use 明白 for logic and 感受到 (gam2 sau6 dou2) for emotional understanding.
- In a professional or military-style setting, shouting 明白! is a common way to signal absolute compliance with an order.
Examples in context
- 你嘅心情我諗我明白嘅。I feel that I understand your feelings.This sentence shows how to use 明白 to express understanding feelings.Tatoeba #1344146 by nickyeow, translation #1125492 by Eldad
- 明白。I understand.This sentence demonstrates using 明白 as a standalone utterance.Tatoeba #6196437 by aizilan, translation #433468 by CK
- 如果一個宇宙簡單到可以俾人明白，咁就正正因為佢太過簡單，所以產生唔到明白到佢嘅意識體。Any universe simple enough to be understood is too simple to produce a mind able to understand it.This sentence uses 明白 in the context of understanding a universe.Tatoeba #5949187 by nickyeow, translation #1747 by Zifre
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a new project task.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung子健，你明白呢個計劃嘅要求嗎？zi2 gin6, nei5 ming4 baak1 ni1 go3 gai3 waak6 ge3 jiu1 kau4 ma1?Zijian, do you understand the requirements for this plan?
- 子健 Tsz Kin我唔係好明白，你可以解釋多次？ngo5 m4 hai6 hou2 ming4 baak1, nei5 ho2 ji5 gaai2 sik1 do1 co3 ci3?I don't quite understand, can you explain it one more time?
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung簡單嚟講，我哋要縮短時間。gaan2 daan1 lai4 gong2, ngo5 dei6 jiu3 suk1 dyun2 si4 gaan1.To put it simply, we need to shorten the time.
- 子健 Tsz Kin哦，而家我明白喇，唔該！o, ji4 gaa1 ngo5 ming4 baak1 laa3, m4 goi1!Oh, now I understand, thanks!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “understand” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
