The work day: Learn Cantonese

Learn the Cantonese for office, On time, punctual, to start work, to finish work, knock off, to look for a job, to rest. This lesson gives you each word with a clear example and romanization, plus audio so you can hear exactly how it sounds.

What you'll learn

office: 寫字樓 (se2 zi6 lau4)
On time, punctual: 準時 (zeon2 si4)
to start work: 開工 (hoi1 gung1)
to finish work, knock off: 收工 (sau1 gung1)
to look for a job: 搵工 (wan2 gung1)
to rest: 休息 (jau1 sik1)

Let's talk about a Hong Kong working day, from clocking in to knocking off. You'll learn the words people really use at the office.

se2寫zi6字lau4樓

office

ngo5我hai2喺se2寫zi6字lau4樓zou6做je5嘢。

I work in an office.

zeon2準si4時

On time, punctual

ngo5我mui5每jat6日dou1都zeon2準si4時faan1返gung1工。

I go to work on time every day.

hoi1開gung1工

to start work

ngo5我ziu1朝zou2早gau2九dim2點hoi1開gung1工。

I start work at nine in the morning.

sau1收gung1工

to finish work, knock off

ngo5我gam1今jat6日luk6六dim2點sau1收gung1工。

I finish work at six today.

wan2搵gung1工

to look for a job

ngo5我tung4同si6事ji4而gaa1家hai2喺dou6度wan2搵gung1工。

My colleague is looking for a job right now.

jau1休sik1息

to rest

ni1呢paai2排ngo5我taai3太mong4忙，hou2好soeng2想fong3放go3個gaa3假hou2好hou2好jau1休sik1息。

I've been so busy lately that I really want to take a holiday and rest properly.

Frequently asked questions

Is the The work day lesson free?

Yes. This Cantonese lesson is free to read online, with romanization and meanings for every word. In the YumCha app, your first lesson is free to try, and vocabulary practice, flashcards, and the dictionary stay free. A subscription unlocks the full interactive lesson path.

Which words does The work day teach in Cantonese?

This lesson covers office, On time, punctual, to start work, to finish work, knock off, to look for a job, to rest.

What romanization is used?

Both Jyutping and Yale, and you can switch between them. The romanization sits above every word, so you always know the pronunciation.

Do I need to read Chinese characters to start?

No. Romanization sits above every character and audio plays each word, so you can start speaking from your first lesson.