你想要咩？
nei5 soeng2 jiu3 me1?
In Cantonese, "what do you want?" is expressed as 你想要咩？ (nei5 soeng2 jiu3 me1?)
This phrase is used to ask someone what item or thing they desire. The word 你 means "you".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 你 (you), 想要 (want) and 咩 (what/what kind of thing).
Which one should you use?
You may also encounter 你要咩？ Using 要 instead of 想要 is more direct and can sound more blunt or impatient depending on tone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more polite approach, especially in service industry contexts, you can add 請問 to the beginning to say "May I ask what you would like?" (請問你想要啲咩？). The form 你想要乜嘢？ is an informal way to ask the question.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the question sound more natural when asking about a selection of items, you can add 啲 (some) before 咩 to form 你想要啲咩？, which means "What (some things) do you want?"
How do you pronounce it?
nei5 soeng2 jiu3 me1?
Did you know?
- If you use 你要咩？ with a sharp, rising tone, you might sound like you are challenging someone to a fight rather than asking for their order.
- While 咩 means 'what' in this phrase, it is also used as a sentence-final particle to express skepticism or disbelief, similar to saying 'Really?' in English.
- In many Cantonese-speaking areas, the word 乜 (mat1) can be used as a standalone exclamation of surprise, similar to saying 'What?!' in English.
Examples in context
- 你想要咩？nei5 soeng2 jiu2 me1?What do you want?
Example conversation
Chi Keung and Ka Yan are at a stationery store.
- 志強 Chi Keung嘉欣，你想要咩？Gaa1 Jan1, nei5 soeng2 jiu3 me1?Ka Yan, what do you want?
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan我想買呢支筆。ngo5 soeng2 maai5 nei1 zi1 bat1.I want to buy this pen.
- 志強 Chi Keung好，我幫你買。hou2, ngo5 bong1 nei5 maai5.Okay, I will buy it for you.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan多謝你，志強！do1 ze6 nei5, Zi3 Keung4!Thank you, Chi Keung!
