haam4 seoi2 waa6鹹水話咸水话
Jyutpinghaam4 seoi2 waa6
Yalehàahm séui wah
Definition
A non-standard accent.
colloquialpeoplecommunication
How it's used
Refers specifically to an accent that sounds like a non-native speaker or someone heavily influenced by a foreign language. It carries a slightly playful or mocking tone, implying that the speaker's pronunciation is not authentic or local. It is most commonly used to describe Cantonese spoken with an English or Western-influenced cadence.
Examples
His Cantonese has a bit of a foreign accent.
Did you just come back from abroad? Your speech has such a strong foreign accent.
Related words
Common phrases
to speak with a foreign accent
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe a regional dialect or a different Chinese dialect like Shanghainese, as it specifically targets the 'foreign' or 'non-local' quality of the accent.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
