How to Count from 1 to 10 in Cantonese

Co-authored by Adrian Lin

Last Updated: March 17, 2024 References

Cantonese is a difficult Chinese language, however counting to 10 is very simple. Just use the pronunciation that's in this article. The following romanisation scheme is "Jyutping" - the most popular romanisation scheme for Cantonese.

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一 = jat1. To say "yuht" say it with an exclamation mark. like this, "Yuht!" but say it fast and shortly.^{[1]
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二 = ji6. To say "yee" say it lowly and longer than "yuht."^{[2]
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三 = saam1. Say it like "sahm."^{[3]
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四 = sei3. Say it like you would say, "Say that." Emphasis on the "say"^{[4]
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五 = ng5. This is tricky. Instead of saying, "Mmm!" Like you tasted something good. Say it slowly and rising at the end, "Mmm..." Also, make sure your tongue touches the roof of your mouth while you're saying it.^{[5]
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六 = luk6. It is like a cross between look and loke. Say it like "yuht!"^{[6]
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七 = cat1. It is like"ch" and then the "uht" sound. Say it quickly and shortly, and make sure you let your voice rise into a higher pitch at the end.^{[7]
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8
Eight: 八 = baat3. Say "baht" not with a low vowel, but kind of stretched out.^{[8]
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- Imagine it as a cross between a and o.
九 = gau2. As with 5, the word rises at the end.^{[9]
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十 = sap6. Say it like, "What's sup", except make the "u" sound more like an extended "a". Emphasis on the "sup".^{[10]
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What is the Cantonese word for hello?

Caeiia

Top Answerer

It's "néih hóu". Like "neigh" (a horse) and "hoe" (gardening tool) but said shortly and quickly. On the phone, you can say "wái." Like "why," but more forcefully and going up in tone as you speak it.

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What is the number eighteen in Cantonese?

Sergeantpro

Community Answer

It is "sup bat", a combination of "sup" (10) and "bat" (8). Literally: ten-eight.

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How do I say "thank you" in Cantonese?

Community Answer

You can say either "dor tse" if someone gives you a present, or "mmm goi" if someone helps you to do something.

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Buy books and CDs that teach Cantonese.

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Because Cantonese is a tonal language (six tones versus Mandarin's four/five!), it may help you to think of it as a "tune". Counting should have an "up - down - up - down" sort of lilt. One is a higher tone, Two is a lower tone... If written as capitals vs lowercase... ONE... two... THREE... four... FIVE... six... (or YAHT, yee, SAHM, say, UNG, lok, BAHT, got, GAU, sop...)

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Listen to Cantonese people around you.

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