waan4 hou2還好还好
Jyutpingwaan4 hou2
Yalewàahn hóu
Definition
Okay; alright; acceptable or not bad.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Expresses a sense of moderate satisfaction or that something meets basic expectations without being exceptional. It is frequently used to soften a response when someone asks how things are going, implying that while there are no major problems, things are not necessarily amazing either.
Examples
The food at this restaurant is actually pretty decent.
Related words
Common phrases
is still alright
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with the Mandarin usage where it can mean 'still good' or 'better than expected'. In Cantonese, it is almost exclusively used to describe a state of being 'just okay' or 'acceptable'.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
