呢個係乜嘢？
ni1 go3 hai6 mat1 je5?
The English phrase "what is this?" is translated into Cantonese as 呢個係乜嘢？ (ni1 go3 hai6 mat1 je5?)
A question used to ask for the identity or name of an object.
What does it mean word for word?
係 means "is" and 乜嘢 means "what".
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask 'what are these?', change the demonstrative 呢個 (this one) to 呢啲 (these).
How do you pronounce it?
ni1 go3 hai6 mat1 je5?
Did you know?
- The word 個 in 呢個 is a classifier. In Cantonese, you cannot simply say 'this' without a classifier that matches the category of the object, such as its shape or size.
- In Hong Kong, it is common to mix English into this phrase, such as 呢個係 what?, especially among younger generations or in professional settings.
- The character 乜 is a colloquial Cantonese character that does not exist in Standard Written Chinese. In formal writing, the character 什麼 is used instead.
Examples in context
- 呢个系乜嘢？你覺得點？What is this? What do you think?
- 唔該，呢個係乜嘢？m4 goi1, ni1 go3 hai6 mat1 je5?Excuse me, what is this?
Example conversation
At a market, a man points to a strange fruit.
- 志強 Chi Keung呢個係乜嘢？ni1 go3 hai6 mat1 je5?What is this?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting呢個係龍眼。ni1 go3 hai6 lung4 ngan5.This is a longan.
- 志強 Chi Keung好甜呀。hou2 tim4 aa3.It is very sweet.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting係呀，好食。hai6 aa3, hou2 sik6.Yes, it's delicious.
