zou2 san4早晨

Jyutpingzou2 san4

Yalejóu sàhn

語句Very common

Definition

Good morning; a greeting used when meeting someone in the morning.

zou2早san4晨，gam1今jat6日tin1天hei3氣hou2好hou2好。

zou2早san4晨，gam1今jat6日tin1天hei3气hou2好hou2好。

Good morning, the weather is nice today.

colloquialcommunicationtime

How it's used

Use this greeting exclusively during the morning hours, typically before noon. Unlike the Mandarin equivalent, it functions as a versatile greeting that can be used with both superiors and friends. It is common to drop the second character and simply say 早 to peers or close acquaintances for a more casual tone.

Examples

zou2早san4晨aa3呀，gam1今jat6日gam3咁zou2早hei2起san1身？

Good morning, you're up so early today?

tung4同gaak3隔lei4離uk1屋go3個leon4鄰geoi1居gong2講seng1聲zou2早san4晨。

Say good morning to the neighbor next door.

Common phrases

gong2講zou2早san4晨

to say good morning

Common mistake

Avoid using this greeting in the afternoon or evening, as it is strictly time-bound. Learners often mistakenly use it as a generic hello regardless of the time of day, which sounds unnatural to native speakers.