hou2 mou2好冇
Jyutpinghou2 mou2
Yalehóu móu
Definition
Is that okay; how about; used at the end of a sentence to make a suggestion or ask for agreement.
colloquialcommunicationdaily actions
How it's used
This contraction functions as a tag question to seek agreement or approval, effectively acting as a shorthand for 好唔好. It is exclusively used in spoken contexts and carries a slightly more casual or persuasive tone than the full form. Because it is a phonetic fusion, it is almost never written in formal documents.
Examples
Shall we go watch a movie later?
How about we go hiking tomorrow?
Related words
Common phrases
How about it? (seeking agreement)
How about it? (with a slightly insistent tone)
Common mistake
Learners often mistake the 冇 in this specific construction for the negative verb meaning to not have. It is important to remember that here it is purely a result of phonetic elision and retains the meaning of the full question 好唔好.
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.
