Descriptions
Adjectives and comparisons
Once you know a handful of adjectives, the whole language opens up. This unit teaches the everyday describing words Cantonese speakers reach for constantly, big and small, good and pretty, fast and slow, expensive and cheap, so you can give an opinion on almost anything you see.
From there you will dial those words up and down with intensifiers like 好 (hou2) for very and 太 (taai3) for too, then compare two things using 過 (gwo3) and pick out the best with 最 (zeoi3). It is one of the most practical steps in the course for sounding natural in real conversations.
- 1
Basic adjectivesBig, small, good, beautiful - 2
More adjectivesFast, slow, expensive, cheap - 3
Very & tooIntensifying adjectives - 4
ComparisonsMore than, most 
Describing thingsGrammar
Test your knowledgeQuiz
Frequently asked questions
How do you say beautiful in Cantonese?
Beautiful or pretty is 靚 (leng3). You can strengthen it to 好靚 (hou2 leng3) for very pretty, or say 最靚 (zeoi3 leng3) for the most beautiful of a group.
How do you say very and too in Cantonese?
Very is 好 (hou2) and too, in the sense of excessively, is 太 (taai3). So 好貴 (hou2 gwai3) means very expensive, while 太貴 (taai3 gwai3) means too expensive.
How do you make comparisons in Cantonese?
Put 過 (gwo3) after the adjective to say more than, as in 大過 (daai6 gwo3) for bigger than. For the superlative, add 最 (zeoi3) in front, so 最大 (zeoi3 daai6) is biggest.
Is this Cantonese adjectives unit free?
Yes. The describing words, the intensifiers, and the comparison patterns are all free to read online, with audio for each term. In the YumCha app, your first lesson is free to try, vocabulary practice stays free, and a subscription unlocks the full lesson path.