lai5 baai3禮拜礼拜

Jyutpinglai5 baai3

Yaleláih baai

名詞Very common

Definition

Sunday Mass or a religious service, especially a worship service in Catholicism or related denominations.

colloquialother

How it's used

While 禮拜 is widely used to mean 'week' in daily Cantonese, it originates from the Christian practice of attending Sunday service. When used in a religious context, it specifically refers to the act of worship or the service itself rather than the seven-day period. It is common to hear churchgoers use the phrase 守禮拜 to describe the commitment of attending these services regularly.

Examples

nei5你ting1聽jat6日wui2會m4唔wui2會heoi3去sau2守lai5禮baai3拜aa1呀？

Will you go to Sunday Mass tomorrow?

keoi5佢mui5每go3個lai5禮baai3拜dou1都wui6會heoi3去gaau3教tong2堂caam1參gaa1加lai5禮baai3拜。

He goes to church every week to attend the service.

Common phrases

sau2守lai5禮baai3拜

to attend Sunday Mass

zou6做lai5禮baai3拜

to perform a religious service

Common mistake

Be careful not to confuse the religious meaning with the common temporal meaning of 'week'. If someone says 佢去咗禮拜, it could mean they went to church, whereas 佢去咗一個禮拜 means they were gone for one week.