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Even after reunification with China Hong Kong remains
by and large bilingual. Roadsigns and information are
commonly published in both Cantonese and English. The
official language of the territory is Cantonese however
and it can be useful to know some basics, if only to
impress the locals. Here are some stock phrases and
the simple method of pronunciation - you won't fool
anyone into thinking you're from Hong Kong though.
|
English
|
CantonesePronunciation
|
| Hello |
lei
ho |
| Good
Morning |
zhou
sun |
| Goodbye |
zhoi
kin |
| My
name is... |
ngoh
liew zhou |
| Thank
you |
tor
chea (receiving gift) |
| Please |
mm
goi |
| Excuse
me |
mm
goi |
| How
much? |
gei
tor |
| one,
two, three, four, five |
yat,
yi, sam, sei, mm |
| Where
is...? |
bin
tou |
| Bill |
mai
dan |
| Ticket
|
che
piu |
| I
would like.... |
ngor
siong yew |
| Where
should I get off for...?
|
bin
tou lok ches |
| I'm
looking for... |
ngor
siong wen |
Is
this bus for...?
|
qa
basi hoi bin tou |
| Where
are the toilets? |
tse
mem sai shou qai hoi bin tou |
| Beer |
bir
zhao |
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