Placeholder Object '嘢'

01

As a Placeholder Object

In Cantonese, many transitive verbs (verbs that take an object) sound incomplete without one. While in English you can simply say "I'm eating," in Cantonese it is more natural to specify what is being eaten. When the specific object is unknown, unimportant, or can be understood from context, 嘢 (je5yéhje5) is used as a generic, placeholder object.

• 我哋去食嘢啦。

  ngo5·dei6 heoi3 sik6·je5 laa1.ngóh·deih heui sihk·yéh lā.ngo5·dei6 hoey3 sik9·je5 laa1.

  Let's go eat something.

• 佢喺房度做緊嘢。

  keoi5 hai2 fong4·dou6 zou6 gan2 je5.kéuih hái fòhng·douh jouh gán yéh.koey5 hai2 fong4·dou6 dzou6 gan2 je5.

  He is doing something/working in the room.

• 我想去買啲嘢。

  ngo5 soeng2 heoi3 maai5 di1 je5.ngóh séung heui máaih dī yéh.ngo5 soeng2 hoey3 maai5 di1 je5.

  I want to go buy some things.

This structure is extremely common in everyday speech. The verb and 嘢 (je5yéhje5) often form a single conceptual unit, like 食嘢 (sik6·je5sihk·yéhsik9·je5) for to eat or 做嘢 (zou6·je5jouh·yéhdzou6·je5) for to work.

02

Meaning 'Anything' or 'Nothing'

嘢 (je5yéhje5) is frequently used in questions and negative statements where English would use pronouns like anything, something, or nothing.

In questions, it is used to ask about the existence of an unspecified thing or activity.

• 你有冇嘢想講？

  nei5 jau5·mou5 je5 soeng2 gong2?néih yáuh·móuh yéh séung góng?nei5 jau5·mou5 je5 soeng2 gong2?

  Do you have anything you want to say?

• 你想唔想食啲嘢？

  nei5 soeng2 m4·soeng2 sik6 di1 je5?néih séung m̀h·séung sihk dī yéh?nei5 soeng2 m4·soeng2 sik9 di1 je5?

  Do you want to eat something?

In negative statements, it is typically paired with the negative verb 冇 (mou5móuhmou5) (to not have) to mean nothing.

• 我冇嘢驚。

  ngo5 mou5 je5 geng1.ngóh móuh yéh gēng.ngo5 mou5 je5 geu1.

  I have nothing to be afraid of.

• 雪櫃入面冇嘢飲。

  syut3·gwai6 jap6·min6 mou5 je5·jam2.syut·gwaih yahp·mihn móuh yéh·yám.syt8·gwai6 jap9·min6 mou5 je5·jam2.

  There's nothing to drink in the fridge.