My Cantonese Lexicon XII: Describing People / Things

The following has not yet been verified by a native Cantonese speaker.

For adjective usage, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRhUL6oeeik

Physical Appearance

English	Cantonese	jyutping	yale
He / She is ...	佢係。。。	keoi5 hai6	kèuih haih
big	高大	gou1 daai6	gōu daaih
small	矮細	ngai2 sai3	ngái sai
fat	肥	fei4	fèih
thin	瘦	sau3	sau
skinny	得棚骨	dak1 paang4 gwat1	dāk pàahng gwāt
young	後生	hau6 saang1	hauh sāang
old	老	lou5	lóuh
pretty / beautiful	靚	leng3	leng
handsome	靚仔	leng3 zai2	leng jái
ugly	鶻突	wat6 dat6	waht daht
horrid, ugly	醜樣	cau2 jeung2	cháu yéung
sexy	索	sok3	sok
long-haired	長頭髮	coeng4 tau4 faat3	chèuhng tàuh faat
short-haired	短頭髮	dyun2 tau4 faat3	dyún tàuh faat
strong	大隻 / 強壯	daai6 zek3 / koeng4 zong3	daaih jek / kèuhng jong
weak	弱	joek6	jeuhk

English	Cantonese	jyutping	yale
He/She wears...	佢帶。。。	keoi5 daai3	kéuih daai
He/She doens't wear..	佢冇帶。。。	keoi5 mou5 daai3	kéuih móuh daai
glasses	眼鏡	ngaan5 geng3/2*	ngáahn géng
He has...	佢有。。。	keoi5 jau5	kéuih yáuh
He doesn't have...	佢冇。。。	keoi5 mou5	kéuih móuh
a beard / moustache	鬍鬚	wu4 sou1	wùh sō

Describing Emotion

English	Cantonese	jyutping	yale
happy	開心	hoi1 sam1	hōi sām
sad	傷心	soeng1 sam1	sēung sām
angry	嬲	nau1	nāu
scared	怕	pa3	pa
tired	癐	gui6	guih
busy	忙	mong4	mòhng
embarrassed
shy	怕醜 / 害羞	paa3 cau2 / hoi6 sau1	pa cháu / hoih sāu
nervous / anxious	緊張	gan2 zoeng1	gán jēung
honest	誠實	sing4 sat6	sìhng saht
proud	驕傲	giu1 ngou6	gīu ngouh
selfish	自私	zi6 si1	jih sī
kind	善良 / 有心	sin6 loeng4 / jau5 sam1	sihn lèuhng / yáuh sām
cool	正	zeng3	jeng
friendly	親切	can1 cit3	chān chit
brave	勇敢	jung5 gam2	yúhng gám
patient	(有冇）耐性	noi6 sing3	noih sing
cold, indifferent	冷淡	laang2 daam6	láang daahm
curious	好奇	hou3 kei4	hou kèih
surprised	詫異	caa3 ji6	cha yih
guilty	有罪	jau5 zeoi6	yáuh jeuih

Describing Emotion continued:

English	Cantonese	jyutping	yale
open-minded
closed-minded
excited
confused
interested
bored
good, obedient	乖	gwai1	gwāi
capable	叻	lek1	lēk
smart / intelligent	聰明	cung1 ming4	chūng mìhng
polite	客氣	haak3 hei3	haak hei
lazy	懶	laan5	láahn
hostile, rude	惡死	ok3 sei2	ok séi
self-confident	(有冇) 自信	zi6 seon3	jih seun
disturbed, uneasy	不安	bat1 on1	bāt ōn
sleepy	眼瞓	ngan5 fan3	ngán fan
careless	求其	kau4 kei4	kàuh kèih
​lonely	​孤獨	gu1 duk6	gū duhk
hardworking	勤力	kan4 lik6	kàhn lihk
stubborn	盟塞 / 固執	mang4 sak1 / gu3 zap1	màhng sāk / gu jāp

Describing Things

English	Cantonese	jyutping	yale
lively	熱鬧	yit6 naau6	yiht naauh
sick	病	gin6 hong1	gihn hōng
healthy	健康	beng6	behng
difficult	難	nan4	nàahn
cheap	平	peng5	péhng
expensive	貴	gwai3	gwai
hot	熱	yit6	yiht
cold	凍	dung3	dung
long	長	coeng4	chèuhng
short	短	dyun2	dyún
fast	快	faai3	faai
slow	慢	maan6	maahn
cute	得意	dak1 yi3	dāk yi
boring	悶	mun6	muhn
rich	有錢	jau5 cin2	yáuh chín
poor	窮	kung5	kúhng
dirty	邋遢 / 污糟	laat6 taat3 / wu1 zou1	laaht taat / wū jōu
clean	乾淨	gon1 zeng6	gōn jehng
bad	差	caa1	chā
useful	有用	jau5 jung6	yáuh yuhng
useless	冇用	mou5 jung6	móuh yuhng
high	高	gou1	gōu
low	低	dai1	dāi
evil	衰	seoi1	sēui

Describing Things continued:

English	Cantonese	jyutping	yale
embarrassing	樣衰	joeng6 seoi1	yeuhng sēui
correct, suitable	啱	ngaam1	ngāam
free / available	得閒	dak1 haan4	dāk hàahn
heavy	重	cung5	chúhng
light	輕	heng1	hēng
wide / broad	闊	fut3	fut
narrow	窄	zaak3	jaak
tight (pants etc.)	緊 / 窄	gan2 / zaak3	gán / jaak
loose (pants etc.)	鬆	sung1	sūng
thick	厚 (book) / 粗 (tree)	hau5 / cou1	háuh / chōu
thin	薄	bok6	bohk
damaged	爛	laan6	laahn
OK / acceptable	得	dak1	dāk
free (of charge)	免費	min5 fai3	míhn fai
famous	有名	jau5 meng2	yáuh méng
unknown	冇名	mou5 meng2	móuh méng
soft	軟	jyun5	yúhn
hard	硬	ngaang6	ngaahng
full	滿	mun5	múhn
empty	空	hung1	hūng
flat	平	ping4	pìhng
steep	陡	dau2	dáu
shallow	淺	cin2	chín
deep	深	sam1	sām

Describing Things continued:

English	Cantonese	jyutping	yale
exciting, stimulating
normal / usual	平常	ping4 soeng4	pìhng sèung
strange	怪	gwaai3	gwaai
interesting / amusing	好玩	hou2 waan2	hóu wáan
funny	好笑	hou2 siu3	hóu siu
romantic	浪漫	long6 maan6	lohng maahn
reliable	可靠	ho2 kaau3	hó kaau

Describing Food

sweet	甜	tim6	tihm
sour	酸	syun1	syūn
bitter	苦	fu2	fú
spicy	辣	laat6	laaht
salty	鹹	haam4	hàahm
delicious	好味 / 好食	hou2 mei6 / hou2 sik6	hóu meih / hóu sihk
aromatic (good smell)	香	hoeng1	hēung
great smell/look/taste	色香味俱全	sik1 hoeng1 mei6 keoi1 cyun4	sīk hēung meih kēui chyùhn
fresh	新鮮	san1 sin1	sān sīn
hungry	肚餓	tou5 ngo6	tóuh ngoh
thirsty	口渴	hau2 hot3	háu hot
sated, full	飽	baau2	báau

*Some words experience a tone change. CantoDict (see below) attributes this to whether the character is being read in a literary manner or a colloquial manner, but some Hong Kong friends have told me that the tone depends on what surrounds the word.

E.g. jyu4 (yùh) = literary, jyu2 (yú)= colloquial

(Please see CantoDict's explanation: http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/essays/tones.htm#cantodict_tones )

If there are any errors, or you have some feedback, feel free to send me a message or write a comment. I am not an expert in the Cantonese language, but have asked native Cantonese speakers to check my lists. I am a student and my goal is to write a clear vocabulary list to help me (and others) learn. You can find out more about my reason for these lists here: My lexicon series.

Image from: https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/opposite-adjective-big-small_1172840.htm