maan5 soeng6晚上
Jyutpingmaan5 soeng6
Yalemáahn seuhng
Definition
Night; the period between sunset and sunrise.
neutraltime
How it's used
While 晚上 is understood in Cantonese, native speakers overwhelmingly prefer the term 夜晚 in daily conversation. Using 晚上 can sound slightly more formal or literary, similar to how one might choose 'evening' over 'night' in specific English contexts. It is perfectly acceptable in writing, but you will sound more natural using 夜晚 when speaking with friends.
Examples
Are you going out tonight?
I usually stay home to watch TV at night.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 晚上 as a direct translation for 'evening' or 'night' in all contexts, but it does not function as a time-of-day greeting like 'Good evening'. You should avoid using it to greet someone, as Cantonese speakers do not use time-based greetings in the same way English speakers do.
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.
