Formal Writing in Mandarin — Cantonese Grammar

In Hong Kong, the language used for daily conversation, Cantonese ( gwóng dūng wáa), is different from the language used in most formal writing. This formal written language is called Standard Written Chinese, or (syu1 min6 jyu5syū mihn yúhsy1 min6 jy5), and it is based on the grammar and vocabulary of Mandarin.

You will encounter (syu1 min6 jyu5syū mihn yúhsy1 min6 jy5) in newspapers, books, official documents, and formal emails. In contrast, the language of everyday speech is called (hau2 jyu5háu yúhhau2 jy5).

Vocabulary Differences

Many basic words are different in spoken Cantonese and written Chinese. When writing formally, you must use the (syu1 min6 jyu5syū mihn yúhsy1 min6 jy5) equivalent.

Spoken vs. Written Vocabulary

He/She: (keoi5kéuihkoey5) (spoken) vs. (taa1tātaa1) (written)
To be (is/am/are): (hai6haihhai6) (spoken) vs. (si6sihsi6) (written)
Not: (m4m̀hm4) (spoken) vs. (bat1bātbat7) (written)
To eat: (sik6sihksik9) (spoken) vs. (hek3hekhek8) (written)
To look/see: (tai2táitai2) (spoken) vs. (hon3honhon3) (written)

Compare the following sentences. The first is in spoken Cantonese, and the second is its formal written equivalent.

佢唔係我朋友。
keoi5 m4·hai6 ngo5 pang4·jau5.kéuih m̀h·haih ngóh pàhng·yáuh.koey5 m4·hai6 ngo5 pang4·jau5.
He is not my friend. (Spoken)
他不是我的朋友。
taa1 bat1·si6 ngo5 dik1 pang4·jau5.tā bāt·sih ngóh dīk pàhng·yáuh.taa1 bat7·si6 ngo5 dik7 pang4·jau5.
He is not my friend. (Written)

我哋今日食乜嘢？
ngo5·dei6 gam1·jat6 sik6 mat1·je5?ngóh·deih gām·yaht sihk māt·yéh?ngo5·dei6 gam1·jat9 sik9 mat7·je5?
What are we eating today? (Spoken)
我們今天吃甚麼？
ngo5·mun4 gam1·tin1 hek3 sam6·mo1?ngóh·mùhn gām·tīn hek sahm·mō?ngo5·mun4 gam1·tin1 hek8 sam6·mo1?
What are we eating today? (Written)

Grammar and Sentence Structure

While the basic sentence order is often similar, there are grammatical differences, especially concerning question words and function words.

Question Words

What: (mat1 je5māt yéhmat7 je5) (spoken) vs. (sam6 mo1sahm mōsam6 mo1) (written)
Where: (bin1 dou6bīn douhbin1 dou6) (spoken) vs. (náah lɵ́ih/náah yìh) (written)
How: (dim2 joeng2dím yéungdim2 joeng2) (spoken) vs. (jám yœ́ng/yùh hòh) (written)

你喺邊度？
nei5 hai2 bin1·dou6?néih hái bīn·douh?nei5 hai2 bin1·dou6?
Where are you? (Spoken)
你在哪裏？
nei5 zoi6 naa5·leoi5?néih joih náh·léuih?nei5 dzoi6 naa5·loey5?
Where are you? (Written)

Additionally, spoken Cantonese uses many final particles (e.g., lāa, wo, ge) to add nuance and emotion. These are generally absent in formal writing, which uses different grammatical markers like (dik1dīkdik7) and (liu5líuhliu5).

我走喇。
ngo5 zau2 laa3.ngóh jáu la.ngo5 dzau2 laa3.
I'm leaving now. (Spoken)
我走了。
ngo5 zau2 liu5.ngóh jáu líuh.ngo5 dzau2 liu5.
I have left. (Written)

Pronunciation in Hong Kong

Although formal text is based on Mandarin, people in Hong Kong do not switch to Mandarin pronunciation when reading it aloud. Instead, they read the characters of the written text using Cantonese pronunciation.

For example, the written sentence (ngo5 si6 hok6 saang1ngóh sih hohk sāangngo5 si6 hok9 saang1) (I am a student) would be read aloud with Cantonese sounds. A Mandarin speaker would read the same characters with Mandarin pronunciation (wǒ shì xuéshēng). This means you learn to recognise and write one standard ( syū mihn yúh) but pronounce it using the sounds of Cantonese.

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