wai4爲为

Jyutpingwai4

Yalewàih

Common

Definition

To do, act as, or become; to govern; to take something as.

to act as; to become; to serve as
to do; to make; to govern
to take as; to consider as
used to indicate the passive voice (be ... by)
literaryused after an adverb for emphasis

writtendaily actions

How it's used

Modern Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use 做 to express the verb to do, while 爲 is largely reserved for formal, literary, or specific grammatical structures. It frequently appears in the compound 爲咗, which functions as a preposition meaning for the sake of or because of. You will rarely hear it used as a standalone verb in casual speech, as it sounds overly academic or archaic.

Examples

nei5你zou6做mat1乜je5嘢wai4爲aa4呀？

What are you doing this for?

keoi5佢wai6爲zo2咗cin2錢me1咩dou1都hang2肯zou6做。

He is willing to do anything for money.

Related words

synonymzou6做jouh

Common phrases

wai6爲zo2咗

for the sake of

sing4成wai4爲

to become

Common mistake

Learners often mistakenly use 爲 as a direct translation for the English verb to do in everyday sentences, which sounds unnatural. Always prefer 做 for general actions and tasks.