Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 係 / 系 | hai⁶ |
| 唔 | m⁴ |
| 嗯 | ng² |
The Cantonese way to say "yes" depends on whether you are confirming a fact, acting as a listener or responding to a specific verb. The form 係 / 系 is used to confirm a fact or an identity, essentially meaning "to be". For a very casual, non-lexical way to show you are listening or to agree, you can use the filler 嗯, which functions like "mm-hmm" or "yeah" in English.
Which one should you use?
While 係 / 系 literally means "to be", it serves as a way to say "yes" when confirming that something is true. In contrast, 唔 is used within the negative form 唔係 to mean "is not" or "no".
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "no" or "is not", you use the negative form 唔係. To make an affirmation sound more natural and conversational in spoken Cantonese, you can add the particle 呀 to the word to form 係呀.
How do you pronounce it?
hai⁶
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using a single word for "yes" in every situation. In Cantonese, it is common to repeat the specific verb used in the question to answer it. For example, if someone asks if you "have" something, you should answer with "have" rather than using a general word for "yes".
Did you know?
- The character 係 originally referred to a 'connection' or 'relation' before it became the standard way to express 'to be' or 'yes' in spoken Cantonese.
- Cantonese speakers may use 係 repeatedly, such as 係係係, to show they are listening intently or to politely urge the speaker to continue without interrupting.
- In Hong Kong, people often end the affirmation 係呀 with a rising tone to turn the 'yes' into a question, effectively asking 'Is that so?' or 'Really?', depending on the context.
Examples in context
- 係呀，佢差唔多同我一樣高。Yes, he's almost as tall as I am.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 唔 in a sentence about height.Tatoeba #851663 by nickyeow, translation #65363 by anjin
- 可以話係，亦都可以話唔係。Yes and no.This sentence demonstrates how to express a nuanced "yes and no" using 唔.Tatoeba #1569795 by nickyeow, translation #51133 by shanghainese
- 係呀，呢啲嘢耐唔耐會發生。Yes, it happens once in a while.This sentence shows how to use 唔 to describe the frequency of an event.Tatoeba #4544377 by kaenif, translation #703597 by Eldad
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yes” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
