sik6 zo2 faan6 mei6 aa1食咗飯未呀食咗饭未呀
Jyutpingsik6 zo2 faan6 mei6 aa1
Yalesihk jó faahn meih ā
Definition
Have you eaten yet? (used as a common greeting)
colloquialfoodcommunication
How it's used
This phrase is the quintessential Cantonese greeting, functioning much like "How are you?" in English. It is rarely an actual inquiry about hunger, but rather a way to show care or initiate a conversation. Responding with a simple "食咗" or "未呀" is perfectly sufficient for most social contexts.
Examples
Have you eaten yet?
Related words
Common phrases
Have you eaten yet?
Common mistake
Do not mistake this for a literal question about someone's nutritional status. If you ask this to a stranger or a busy colleague, they might be confused as to why you are interested in their meal schedule.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
