好好
hou2 hou2
The Cantonese phrase for "very good" is 好好 (hou2 hou2).
好好 is used to describe something of high quality or a person who is well-behaved.
Which one should you use?
While 好好 is the standard way to say very good, you might use 好正 (very good or really cool), 好正啊 (a more vibrant and energetic version of very good) or 好勁 (awesome or impressive) in informal settings. For a more formal tone, you can use 十分出色.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, the phrases 幾好 (quite good or rather good) and 幾正 (pretty good or quite good) are commonly used.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 好好 as an adjective to modify a noun, you must add the particle 嘅 after it, forming 好好嘅.
How do you pronounce it?
hou2 hou2
Did you know?
- If you describe someone as 好正, you might unintentionally be complimenting their physical attractiveness or 'hotness', as the term is often used for people in a stylish way.
- The formal term 十分出色 uses 十分, which literally means 'ten parts' or 'ten points', representing a perfect score of 10/10.
- The word 正 (zeng3), often used for 'very good' in slang, literally means 'correct' or 'upright', but in modern Cantonese it functions much like the English word 'cool'.
Examples in context
- 阿Tom係一個好好嘅朋友。Tom is a very good friend.This sentence is useful for describing a person using the form 好好.Tatoeba #5355318 by nickyeow, translation #1025134 by CK
- 呢隻雪糕好好味㗎，你試唔試少少呀？This is very good ice cream. Won't you have some?This sentence is useful for describing food using the form 好好.Tatoeba #659603 by nickyeow, translation #55884 by CK
- 呢個餐廳嘅食物好勁，好好味！(ni goh chān tēng ge sik mat hóu geng, hóu hóu mei)The food at this restaurant is awesome, very delicious!
- 你嘅畫功好正啊！(lei ge wa gung hóu jing a!)Your painting skills are really amazing!
- 佢係一個好好嘅學生。keoi5 hai6 jat1 go3 hou2 hou2 ge3 hok6 saang1.He is a very good student.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ka Ming and Mei Ling are talking about a new restaurant.
- 家明 Ka Ming呢間餐廳嘅服務好好。ni1 gaan1 caan1 tau4 ge3 fuk6 mou6 hou2 hou2.The service at this restaurant is very good.
- 美玲 Mei Ling係呀，啲職員好有禮貌。hai6 aa3, di1 zik1 jyun4 hou2 jau5 lai5 maau6.Yes, the staff are very polite.
- 家明 Ka Ming食物嘅質素都好好。sik6 mat6 ge3 zat1 sou3 dou1 hou2 hou2.The quality of the food is also very good.
- 美玲 Mei Ling我下次一定會再來。ngo5 ha6 ci3 jat1 ding6 wui5 zoi3 lai4.I will definitely come back next time.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
