Cantonese identity with 係 (hai6): this is that

係 hai6 is how Cantonese says this is that. It names what something is, who someone is, or which day it is. The negative is 唔係 m4 hai6, and the lookalike 喺 hai2 is a different word that means at.

The short versionPut 係 between two things to name them: 佢係護士, they are a nurse. The negative is 唔係, never a different verb. Do not use 係 in front of an adjective: that is a quality, and it has its own page. Do not mix 係 up with 喺, which means at.

A is B

係 sits in the middle like an equals sign. The thing you are talking about comes first, 係 comes next, and the name or role comes last. English conjugates am, is, and are. Cantonese uses one form for every person and every time.

keoi5 hai6 wu6 si6
佢係護士
They are a nurse
identity
ni1 bui1 hai6 dung3 gaa3 fe1
呢杯係凍咖啡
This cup is iced coffee
naming a thing
ngo5 dei6 hai6 tung4 si6
我哋係同事
We are colleagues
who we are to each other

The negative is 唔係

Put 唔 m4 in front of 係 and you get 唔係, is not. The two syllables stay together. You do not swap in 冇 mou5, which is the negative of 有, and you do not drop 係 and leave a bare 唔.

gam1 jat6 m4 hai6 sing1 kei4 ng5
今日唔係星期五
Today is not Friday
negative identity
ni1 go3 jan4 m4 hai6 lou5 si1
呢個人唔係老師
This person is not a teacher
唔係 stays as one piece
係 is not 喺

The two characters look similar and their romanizations look similar too: 係 hai6, 喺 hai2. 係 names what something is. 喺 names where something is. 佢係護士 is they are a nurse. 佢喺醫院 is they are at the hospital. Mixing them is the most common beginner slip on this page. For location, see the location guide.

What 係 is not for

係 does not describe a quality. 今日好熱 is today is hot, with no 係 at all. That pattern belongs on the adjectives page. 係 also is not the 係...嘅 frame that puts one part of a sentence in the spotlight. That is a later, more specific construction, covered in the focus guide.

Common mistakes

Using 喺 to mean is

喺 means at or in. If you want to name a role or a thing, you need 係. 佢喺護士 is not Cantonese for they are a nurse.

Putting 係 in front of an adjective

English cannot say today hot, so learners carry the is across and get 今日係熱. Cantonese does not work that way, and neither does Mandarin. 今日好熱 is the right shape.

Negating with 冇

冇 is the negative of 有, not of 係. I am not a teacher is 我唔係老師, never 我冇老師 in that meaning. 我冇老師 would mean I do not have a teacher.

Continue reading on the blog

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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.NegationHow to say no, not, didn't, and don't in Cantonese. The four main negation words and when to use each one.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.QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.TonesCantonese has six tones, and the tones can change in certain grammatical contexts. Learn the six tones and the rules for tone change.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.Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.Time and datesClock time, days of the week, months, and years. The patterns you need to make plans and talk about when things happen.Modal verbsHow to say can, will, may, should, must, and want. The core modal verbs of Cantonese and the differences that trip up beginners.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.Numbers and moneyCounting, talking about money, and asking how much things cost. Includes the two words for two and the everyday words for dollars and cents.RequestsHow to ask for things politely with 唔該 and 麻煩, give a gentle command, and soften a request with V 吓.係...嘅 focusA very common spoken pattern that puts the spotlight on one part of a sentence, used for emphasis, identity, and strong statements.ConditionalsHow to say if this, then that, and as soon as. The patterns you need for plans, hypotheticals, and cause and effect.Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.QuantifiersThe all purpose word 啲 for some and plural, plus 全部, 每, and 啲啲. How Cantonese marks amount without changing the noun.Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.Passive (畀)How to say something was done to someone or something, using 畀. Where Mandarin reaches for 被, spoken Cantonese uses 畀.Relative clausesHow to build phrases like the thing I ate or the person who called, by putting a whole clause in front of a noun with 嘅.Potential complementsHow to say you can or cannot manage a result, by slotting 得 or 唔 into the middle of a verb phrase. A neat Cantonese trick.Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.Giving (畀)How to say give someone something, and the word order Cantonese uses for giving, which often surprises learners.將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.Emphasis (先至)How to say only then and only if with 至 and 先至, a precise way to link a condition to its result that beginners often miss.ConjunctionsThe conjunctions and linking words that join ideas across a sentence, for reason, contrast, and sequence, in natural spoken Cantonese.DurationHow to ask and answer how long something takes and how often it happens, with 幾耐, 耐, and the common frequency words.Particle clustersReal Cantonese rarely uses one sentence particle at a time. Learn how particles stack and what the common combinations mean.Existential 有How 有 says there is, someone has, and something exists. One of the first verbs you need and a building block for many patterns.Code mixingHow English words slot into everyday Hong Kong speech, from like and OK to book a table, and how they pick up Cantonese tones.ReduplicationRepeating a word to add colour or soften it, like a reddish red or have a quick look. An expressive pattern that makes you sound natural.Reported speechHow to report what someone said using 話 and 講, for retelling conversations and passing on messages.Topic commentCantonese likes to name the thing you are talking about first, even when it is the object. How to front a topic and then comment on it.住 and 開Cantonese has more aspect than 咗 and 緊. Learn 住 for a state that keeps going, like wearing or holding, and 開 for something you do as a habit.Right dislocationIn casual Cantonese the subject or a modifier often comes after the sentence, even after the particle. How afterthought word order works.AdjectivesAn adjective is already the verb, so you say 今日好熱, not 今日係熱. How Cantonese describes things without a copula.Word orderWho, then the action, then the thing. Time and place sit before the verb, not at the end the way English often puts them.DegreeHow strong a quality is. 好 is the everyday very, 太 is too, 幾 is quite, and 咁 is so.How oftenUsually, sometimes, all the time, rarely, never. All five sit in one slot, between the subject and the verb.Also and only都 covers also and all from in front of the verb. 淨係 narrows to only, 又 and 再 split the two kinds of again, and 仲 says still.All, too, one moreThree endings that clip onto the back of the verb. 晒 says all of it, 埋 says the rest of it, and 添 asks for one more.How you do itFast, slowly, well. Cantonese reuses the adjective and hooks it onto the verb with 得, so 佢行得好快 is they walk very fast.FirstEnglish and Mandarin put first in front of the verb. Cantonese hangs 先 on the end, so 我食飯先 is let me eat first.
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