Written Cantonese vs Standard Chinese: what to read

Cantonese learners meet two kinds of written Chinese. One follows the way people speak Cantonese. The other is the standard written language shared across Chinese-speaking places. Knowing which one you are reading tells you what you will learn from it.

Two written forms

• Standard Written Chinese is used for most news, school books and official text. In Hong Kong it is read aloud with Cantonese pronunciation, but its grammar and words follow the standard written language.
• Written Cantonese writes down how people speak. You see it in messages, comics, captions, advertising, forums and social media, and in transcripts of speech.

Words that tell them apart

A handful of common words give written Cantonese away. The Cantonese form comes first, with its Jyutping, then the standard written form.

• 佢 keoi5 (he, she) / 他 or 她
• 係 hai6 (to be) / 是
• 唔 m4 (not) / 不
• 嘅 ge3 (possessive) / 的
• 咗 zo2 (completed action) / 了
• 喺 hai2 (at, in) / 在
• 冇 mou5 (not have) / 沒有
• 睇 tai2 (look, read) / 看

Traditional characters

Hong Kong and Macau use Traditional characters, so most Cantonese reading material is in Traditional. The taihaa reader accepts Traditional and Simplified text.

What to read first

• If your goal is speaking, start with written Cantonese: short dialogues, messages and captions match what you will hear.
• If your goal is reading news, signs or documents, add Standard Written Chinese once everyday words feel familiar.
• Most learners need both. Written Cantonese builds spoken vocabulary, and standard text builds formal reading.

Reading standard text with Cantonese readings

With Cantonese as your target language, the Cantonese Jyutping reader gives Cantonese Jyutping for any text, including standard written news. Remember that the words in standard text are not always the ones people say in conversation.

Where to find texts

Start with the Cantonese lessons in the taihaa library and News, then import pages and documents you choose. Copyright still applies to what you import, so keep it for your own study. If you are new to romanization, read how to read Jyutping first.