哪裡 / 哪裏 / 哪里
naa⁵ leoi⁵formal
The English word 'where' is translated into Cantonese as 哪裡 / 哪裏 / 哪里 (naa⁵ leoi⁵), 邊度 / 边度 or 邊處 / 边处.
Meaning: at or in what place (adv)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 哪裡 / 哪裏 / 哪里 | naa⁵ leoi⁵ | formal |
| 邊度 / 边度 | bin¹ dou⁶ | vernacular |
| 邊處 / 边处 | bin¹ syu³ | vernacular |
These forms are used as adverbs to indicate at or in what place.
Which one should you use?
The formal written form is 哪裡 / 哪裏 / 哪里. In spoken Cantonese, 邊度 / 边度 is the most common way to say 'where', while 邊處 / 边处 is slightly more formal than 邊度 / 边度 but remains more colloquial than the written form.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
哪裡 / 哪裏 / 哪里 is used in formal writing or speech. 邊度 / 边度 and 邊處 / 边处 are vernacular forms used in everyday spoken Cantonese, with 邊處 / 边处 being the more formal of the two spoken options.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Cantonese, the question word 邊度 typically follows the verb or stays in the same position as the answer, rather than moving to the front of the sentence as in English.
How do you pronounce it?
naa⁵ leoi⁵
Did you know?
- The written form 哪裡 is shared with Mandarin, but a Cantonese speaker would almost never say this aloud in a casual conversation.
- The spoken term 邊度 actually contains the word for 'side' or 'edge', making the literal question 'at which side'.
- If you use the formal written 哪裡 in a casual street market in Hong Kong, you might sound like a character from a historical drama or a textbook.
Example sentences for Cantonese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “where” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
