gwong2 dung1 waa2廣東話广东话

Jyutpinggwong2 dung1 waa2

Yalegwóng dūng wá

名詞Common

Definition

The Cantonese language.

specifically the variety of Cantonese spoken in Hong Kong and Macau
Cantonese dialects and varieties in general
literaryany of the languages spoken in Guangdong province

ngo5我hok6學gan2緊gwong2廣dung1東waa2話。

ngo5我hok6学gan2紧gwong2广dung1东waa2话。

I'm learning Cantonese.

colloquialcommunication

How it's used

Locals almost exclusively use this term to refer to the language, whereas the term 粵語 is reserved for formal, academic, or linguistic contexts. Using 粵語 in casual conversation can sound overly stiff or like you are reading from a textbook. When discussing the specific variety spoken in Hong Kong, people sometimes also use 廣州話 or 廣府話 to emphasize the connection to the historical standard.

Examples

nei5你ping4平si4時hai6係mai6咪dou1都gong2講gwong2廣dung1東waa2話㗎？

Do you usually speak Cantonese in your daily life?

hok6學hou2好gwong2廣dung1東waa2話deoi3對喺hai2香hoeng1港gong2生sang1活wut6好hou2重zung6要。

Learning Cantonese well is very important for living in Hong Kong.

Common phrases

gong2講gwong2廣dung1東waa2話

to speak Cantonese

gwong2廣dung1東waa2話hau2口jam1音

Cantonese accent

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with the Mandarin term 廣東話, which in mainland China can sometimes be used as a catch-all for any dialect spoken in Guangdong province, including Hakka or Teochew. In Hong Kong, it strictly refers to the Yue variety.