贏 / 赢
jeng⁴
To say 'win' in Cantonese, the default form is 贏 / 赢 (jeng⁴). If unsure, use 贏 / 赢. Wiktionary also lists 勝利 / 胜利.
Meaning: transitive: achieve victory in (verb)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 贏 / 赢 | jeng⁴ |
| 勝利 / 胜利 |
The verb 贏 is used to achieve victory. It is commonly used when talking about winning money in gambling or games, such as in the phrase 贏錢. If you want to express the specific idea of conquering or defeating an opponent, you can use 戰勝. To describe the act of winning a specific championship or taking a crown, the term 奪冠 is used.
Which one should you use?
The antonym of 贏 is 輸, which means to lose. While 贏 is the standard verb, you may see more specific terms like 奪冠 for championship victories or 戰勝 for defeating an opponent.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone has already won, add the aspect marker 咗 after the verb, such as in the phrase 贏咗 (won) or 贏咗一半 (won half).
How do you pronounce it?
jeng⁴
Did you know?
- While 贏 is the standard verb, using it to describe a major historical battle can sound ironically casual, almost as if the general was just playing a board game.
- Using 贏 in a metaphorical sense, like 'winning someone's heart', is less common than using other specific Cantonese verbs that describe 'capturing' or 'gaining' affection.
- The antonym 輸 (to lose) is frequently used metaphorically in Cantonese to describe being 'outplayed' or losing face in social situations, not just in games.
Examples in context
- 我地會贏呢場比賽。We are going to win this competition.
- 恭喜你嘅勝利！Congratulations on your victory!
- 我贏咗彩票！I won the lottery!
- 你鍾意嘅隊贏咗冇？Did your favorite team win?
- 我哋希望奪冠。Our team hopes to win the championship.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “win” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
