{"id":80,"date":"2025-12-01T18:56:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T01:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/caretakerdictionaryincantonese\/?page_id=80"},"modified":"2025-12-04T16:42:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T23:42:14","slug":"additional-basic-cantonese-sound-system","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/caretakerdictionaryincantonese\/additional-basic-cantonese-sound-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Additional: Basic Cantonese Sound System"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

How Cantonese Sounds Work (Yale Romanization)<\/h2>\n

\n In Yale Cantonese, each syllable has three parts:
\n Initial (beginning sound of the syllable) + Final (ending sound of the syllable) + Tone (pitch)<\/strong>.\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Syllable = Initial + Final + Tone<\/h3>\n

\n Example: s\u00e9uhng<\/strong> (\u201cup\u201d)
\n \u2013 s-<\/em> is the initial, -euhng<\/em> is the final, and the mark on the vowel shows the tone.\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2. The 6 Cantonese tones (Yale marks)<\/h3>\n

\n Cantonese has 6 tones<\/strong>. In Yale, tones are shown with small marks on the first vowel, or an h<\/strong> after the vowel for the low tones.
\nUse the English \u201cfeeling\u201d words below as a rough pitch guide.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Tone<\/th>\nName<\/th>\nYale mark<\/th>\nMnemonic words<\/th>\nExample<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
1<\/td>\nHigh level<\/td>\n\n
\n s\u012b<\/strong>
\n
high flat (like \u201che\u201d)<\/td>\n\u8a69 \u201cpoem\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

2<\/td>\nHigh rising<\/td>\n\n
\n s\u00ed<\/strong>
\n
starts mid, rises (like \u201cthen?\u201d)<\/td>\n\u53f2 \u201chistory\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

3<\/td>\nMid level<\/td>\n\n
\n si<\/strong>
\n
mid flat (like \u201cyou\u201d)<\/td>\n\u8a66 \u201cto try\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

4<\/td>\nLow falling<\/td>\n\n
\n s\u00ech<\/strong>
\n
low, falling a bit (like “Tracy”)<\/td>\n\u6642 \u201ctime\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

5<\/td>\nLow rising<\/td>\n\n
\n s\u00edh<\/strong>
\n
low then slightly up (like “see”) <\/td>\n\u5e02 \u201cmarket\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

6<\/td>\nLow level<\/td>\n\n
\n sih<\/strong>
\n
low flat (like \u201cin\u201d)<\/td>\n\u4e8b \u201cmatter\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\n *Tone mark goes on the first vowel of the syllable. For low tones (4\u20136), an h<\/strong> is written after the vowel.\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3. Initials \u2013 starting sounds<\/h3>\n

\n Cantonese has about 19 initials<\/strong> (starting consonants).\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Initial<\/th>\nApprox. English<\/th>\nExample (Yale)<\/th>\nMeaning<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
b<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cb\u201d in boy<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n b\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u5df4(\u58eb) – “bus”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

d<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cd\u201d in dark<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n d\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u6253 \u2013 \u201cto hit \/ dozen\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

g<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cga\u201d in guard<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n g\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u5bb6 \u2013 \u201cfamily\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

gw<\/strong><\/td>\ngwa – similar to guava<\/td>\n\n
\n gw\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u74dc \u2013 \u201cmelon\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

j<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cja\u201d in jar <\/td>\n\n
\n j\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u6e23 \u2013 \u201cresidue \/ dregs\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

p<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cpa\u201d in park<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n p\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u8db4 \u2013 \u201cto lie face-down\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

t<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201ct\u201d in tart<\/em> <\/td>\n\n
\n t\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u4ed6 \u2013 \u201che\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

k<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cka\u201d in kart<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n k\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u5361 \u2013 \u201ccard\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

kw<\/strong><\/td>\nlike “kwa” in quick<\/td>\n\n
\n kw\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u8a87 \u2013 \u201cto boast\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

ch<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201ccha\u201d in charge<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n ch\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u5dee \u2013 \u201cinferior \/ difference\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

f<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cfa\u201d in fast<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n f\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u82b1 \u2013 \u201cflower\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

h<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cha\u201d in hack<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n h\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u8766 \u2013 \u201cshrimp\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

s<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201csa\u201d in sand<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n s\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u6c99 \u2013 \u201csand\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

m<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cma\u201d in mummy<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n m\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u5abd \u2013 \u201cmother\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

n<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cna\u201d in name<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n n\u00e1<\/span>
\n
\u62ff \u2013 \u201cto take \/ fetch\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

l<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cla\u201d in lag<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n l\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u5566 \u2013 particle<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

ng<\/strong><\/td>\nng similar to the “ark” <\/td>\n\n
\n ng\u00e0h<\/span>
\n
\u7259 \u2013 \u201ctooth\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

w<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cw\u201d in way<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n w\u0101<\/span>
\n
\u86d9 \u2013 \u201cfrog\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

y<\/strong><\/td>\nlike \u201cy\u201d in yes<\/em><\/td>\n\n
\n y\u00e1h<\/span>
\n
\u4e5f \u2013 \u201calso\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

4. Finals \u2013 Examples for some syllables<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
 <\/th>\naa<\/th>\na<\/th>\ne<\/th>\ni<\/th>\no<\/th>\nu<\/th>\neu<\/th>\nyu<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
<\/td>\n\n
f\u0101<\/div>\n
flower \u82b1<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n\n
ch\u0113<\/div>\n
car \u8eca<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
j\u012b<\/div>\n
know \u77e5<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
g\u014d<\/div>\n
song \u6b4c<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
k\u016b<\/div>\n
hoop \u7b8d<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
h\u0113u<\/div>\n
boot \u9774<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
sy\u016b<\/div>\n
book \u66f8<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

i<\/td>\n\n
t\u0101ai<\/div>\n
tie \u5454<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
g\u0101i<\/div>\n
chicken \u96de<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
f\u0113i<\/div>\n
fly \u98db<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n\n
t\u014di<\/div>\n
embryo \u80ce<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
f\u016bi<\/div>\n
grey \u7070<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
s\u0113ui<\/div>\n
bad \u8870<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

u<\/td>\n\n
b\u0101au<\/div>\n
bun \u5305<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
n\u0101u<\/div>\n
angry \u5b32<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n\n
b\u012bu<\/div>\n
a watch \u9336<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
g\u014du<\/div>\n
tall \u9ad8<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

m<\/td>\n\n
s\u0101am<\/div>\n
three \u4e09<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
s\u0101m<\/div>\n
heart \u5fc3<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n\n
j\u012bm<\/div>\n
sharp \u5c16<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

n<\/td>\n\n
f\u0101an<\/div>\n
back \u8fd4<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
m\u0101n<\/div>\n
dollar \u868a<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n\n
ch\u012bn<\/div>\n
thousand \u5343<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
g\u014dn<\/div>\n
dry \u4e7e<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
b\u016bn<\/div>\n
move \u642c<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
j\u0113un<\/div>\n
bottle \u6a3d<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
sy\u016bn<\/div>\n
sour \u9178<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

ng<\/td>\n\n
j\u0101ang<\/div>\n
owe \u62bc<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
j\u0101ng<\/div>\n
hate \u618e<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
t\u0113ng<\/div>\n
listen \u807d<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
b\u012bng<\/div>\n
ice \u51b0<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
b\u014dng<\/div>\n
help \u5e6b<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
f\u016bng<\/div>\n
wind \u98a8<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
ch\u0113ung<\/div>\n
window \u7a97<\/div>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

p<\/td>\n\n
taap<\/div>\n
tower \u5854<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
j\u0101p<\/div>\n
juice \u6c41<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n\n
l\u012bp<\/div>\n
lift \u4882<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

t<\/td>\n\n
s\u0101at ML<\/div>\n
kill \u6bba<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
ch\u0101t<\/div>\n
seven \u4e03<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n\n
m\u012bt<\/div>\n
pinch \u6423<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
g\u014dt ML<\/div>\n
cut \u5272<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
wuht LL<\/div>\n
alive \u6d3b<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
ch\u0113ut<\/div>\n
out \u51fa<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/p>\n

k<\/td>\n\n
j\u0101ak ML<\/div>\n
arrow \u7bad<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
d\u0101k<\/div>\n
okay \u5f97<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
l\u0113k<\/div>\n
smart \u53fb<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
s\u012bk<\/div>\n
color \u8272<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
gok ML<\/div>\n
corner \u89d2<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
luhk LL<\/div>\n
six \u516d<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
d\u0113uk<\/div>\n
chop \u5544<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
\n
syut ML<\/div>\n
snow \u96ea<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Credit: http:\/\/www.clc.com.hk<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How Cantonese Sounds Work (Yale Romanization) In Yale Cantonese, each syllable has three parts: Initial (beginning sound of the syllable) + Final (ending sound of the syllable) + Tone (pitch). 1. Syllable = Initial + Final + Tone Example: s\u00e9uhng (\u201cup\u201d) \u2013 s- is the initial, -euhng is the final, and the mark on the vowel shows the tone. 2. The 6 Cantonese tones (Yale marks) Cantonese has 6 tones. In Yale, tones are shown with small marks on the first vowel, or an h after the vowel for the low tones. Use the English \u201cfeeling\u201d words below as a…<\/p>\n

Continue ReadingAdditional: Basic Cantonese Sound System<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":106635,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-80","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/caretakerdictionaryincantonese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/80","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/caretakerdictionaryincantonese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/caretakerdictionaryincantonese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/caretakerdictionaryincantonese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106635"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/caretakerdictionaryincantonese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80"}],"version-history":[{"count":89,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/caretakerdictionaryincantonese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/80\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":356,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/caretakerdictionaryincantonese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/80\/revisions\/356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/caretakerdictionaryincantonese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}