wai6為为

Jyutpingwai6

Yalewaih

介詞Very common

Definition

For; for the sake or purpose of; because of.

colloquialdaily actionsother

How it's used

Pronunciation is the most important feature here, as it is almost always read as "wai6" in spoken Cantonese when meaning "for the sake of." While it appears in written text, in casual speech, it is often replaced by "為咗" to clearly mark the purpose or motivation. It functions as a preposition to link an action to its beneficiary or underlying reason.

Examples

nei5你zou6做nei4呢joeng6樣je5嘢hai6係wai6為mat1乜aa4呀？

What are you doing this for?

keoi5佢wai6為zo2咗uk1屋kei2企jan4人hou2好san1辛fu2苦gam3咁zou6做je5嘢。

He works very hard for the sake of his family.

Common phrases

wai6為mat1乜

for what

wai6為zo2咗

in order to

Common mistake

Learners often confuse this with the Mandarin usage where it can be a verb meaning "to be" or "to become." In Cantonese, avoid using it as a copula, as "係" is the standard choice for that function.