Learn Cantonese, from English.
Cantonese has a reputation for being hard — six tones and a writing system can look intimidating. But its grammar is refreshingly simple (no verb conjugation, no gender, no articles), and with Jyutping plus audio, beginners make fast progress in the right order. This course walks you from sounds through grammar to real phrases for Hong Kong.
Start here
Your recommended route through the course.
- START Cantonese for English speakers — where to begin Begin with the big picture — what Cantonese is and how to approach it.
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STEP 1 Sounds Jyutping romanization, the six tones, and how Cantonese syllables are built.
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STEP 2 Grammar Core sentence patterns — copula, pronouns, negation, aspect, particles, and classifiers.
- Cantonese grammar basics — word order, questions, and no conjugationRead this article
- Cantonese pronouns and the three "to be" verbs — 係, 喺, 有Read this article
- Negation and aspect — 唔 vs 冇, and 咗 / 緊 / 過Read this article
- Cantonese sentence-final particles — 呀, 咩, 啫, 喇, 囉, and friendsRead this article
- Cantonese classifiers — 個, 本, 張, 杯, 架, 隻, and how number + noun worksRead this article
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STEP 3 Words & conversation The everyday vocabulary, greetings, and numbers you'll use constantly.
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STEP 4 Real-world Cantonese Airports, hotels, restaurants, dim sum, and getting around Hong Kong.
Browse by topic
Getting started
The big picture — what Cantonese is and how to approach it.
Sounds
Jyutping, the six tones, and Cantonese syllable structure.
- Jyutping and the six tones — how to read Cantonese pronunciation How Jyutping works (initial + final + tone number), all six Cantonese tones with minimal pairs, and how to practice them with audio.
- Cantonese initials and finals — how every syllable is built All Jyutping initials (b, p, d, t, g, k, gw, kw, z, c, s, j, ng, zero) and finals (aa, a, i, u, oe, eo, yu, m, n, ng, checked p/t/k), with aspiration and HK pronunciation notes.
Grammar
Sentence patterns, pronouns, negation, aspect, particles, and classifiers.
- Cantonese grammar basics — word order, questions, and no conjugation Core Cantonese sentence structure for English speakers: SVO order, no conjugation or gender, question patterns (嗎/咩, A-not-A), negation with 唔 and 冇, and how modification works.
- Cantonese pronouns and the three "to be" verbs — 係, 喺, 有 Cantonese personal pronouns (我, 你, 佢 + plural marker 哋), and the three different verbs for 'to be': 係 hai6 (identity), 喺 hai2 (location), 有 jau5 (existence/possession).
- Negation and aspect — 唔 vs 冇, and 咗 / 緊 / 過 The two Cantonese negators (唔 for states, 冇 for possession/completion), and the three core aspect markers (咗 completed, 緊 ongoing, 過 experienced) that replace tense.
- Cantonese sentence-final particles — 呀, 咩, 啫, 喇, 囉, and friends The small words that end Cantonese sentences and carry attitude: 呀 aa3, 啦 laa1, 喇 laa3, 啫 ze1, 嘅 ge3, 囉 lo1, 咩 me1, 呢 ne1, 嘛 maa3 — what they mean pragmatically and when to use them.
- Cantonese classifiers — 個, 本, 張, 杯, 架, 隻, and how number + noun works Cantonese measure words (classifiers): why you can't count a noun directly, the everyday classifiers (個, 本, 張, 杯, 碗, 架, 隻, 間, 條), and the number + classifier + noun pattern.
Words & conversation
Core vocabulary, greetings, numbers, and everyday phrases.
- 100 essential Cantonese words — grouped by theme The 100 most useful Cantonese words for English speakers, in themed tables: people, time, food, places, verbs, adjectives, and function words — all in Traditional Chinese with Jyutping.
- Essential Cantonese conversation — greetings, introductions, and everyday phrases Real colloquial Cantonese for daily conversation: greetings, self-introduction, small talk, polite phrases, and responses you'll hear in Hong Kong — all with Jyutping and audio.
- Cantonese numbers, time, and prices — 一 to 一萬, telling time, and HKD Cantonese numbers 0–10, tens, hundreds, thousands; 兩 vs 二; telling time; days and dates; and talking about prices in Hong Kong dollars.
Real-world Cantonese
Travel, restaurants, dim sum, and transport in Hong Kong.
- Cantonese for travel — airport, hotel, directions, and emergencies in Hong Kong Survival Cantonese for Hong Kong travel: airport and hotel check-in, asking directions, toilets, Wi-Fi, shopping, and emergency help — all colloquial with Jyutping.
- Cantonese for restaurants — dim sum, cha chaan teng, ordering, and the bill Restaurant Cantonese for Hong Kong: getting a table, ordering dim sum and cha chaan teng classics, dietary requests (no spicy, allergies), takeaway, and paying the bill.
- Cantonese for transport — MTR, bus, taxi, ferry, and the Octopus card Getting around Hong Kong in Cantonese: MTR stations and lines, buses, taxis (with Cantonese destination phrases), the Star Ferry, minibuses, and Octopus card basics.