Possessives with '嘅'

01

Indicating Possession

To show that something belongs to someone, place 嘅 (ge3gege3) between the owner (possessor) and the object (possessee). The structure is always: Owner + 嘅 (ge3gege3) + Object.

• 陳生嘅車。

  can4·sang1 ge3 ce1.chàhn·sāng ge chē.tsan4·sang1 ge3 tse1.

  Mr. Chan's car.

• 老師嘅書。

  lou5·si1 ge3 syu1.lóuh·sī ge syū.lou5·si1 ge3 sy1.

  The teacher's book.

• 公司嘅電腦。

  gung1·si1 ge3 din6·nou5.gūng·sī ge dihn·nóuh.gung1·si1 ge3 din6·nou5.

  The company's computer.

02

Possessive Pronouns

Cantonese does not have separate words for "my", "your", "his", or "her". Instead, you create these by simply adding 嘅 (ge3gege3) to the standard personal pronouns.

• 我 (ngo5ngóhngo5) (I) becomes 我嘅 (ngo5 ge3ngóh gengo5 ge3) (my)
• 你 (nei5néihnei5) (you) becomes 你嘅 (nei5 ge3néih genei5 ge3) (your)
• 佢 (keoi5kéuihkoey5) (he/she) becomes 佢嘅 (keoi5 ge3kéuih gekoey5 ge3) (his/her/its)

• 我嘅朋友。

  ngo5 ge3 pang4·jau5.ngóh ge pàhng·yáuh.ngo5 ge3 pang4·jau5.

  My friend.

• 你嘅電話。

  nei5 ge3 din6·waa2.néih ge dihn·wá.nei5 ge3 din6·waa2.

  Your phone.

03

Connecting Adjectives to Nouns

Beyond simple ownership, 嘅 (ge3gege3) is used to attach a description (adjective) to a noun. While English simply places the adjective before the noun (e.g., "red car"), Cantonese often uses 嘅 (ge3gege3) as a bridge, especially if the adjective consists of more than one syllable or needs emphasis.

• 紅色嘅衫。

  hung4·sik1 ge3 saam1.hùhng·sīk ge sāam.hung4·sik7 ge3 saam1.

  Red clothes.

• 好嘅人。

  hou2 ge3 jan4.hóu ge yàhn.hou2 ge3 jan4.

  Good person.

• 好食嘅嘢。

  hou2·sik6 ge3 je5.hóu·sihk ge yéh.hou2·sik9 ge3 je5.

  Delicious food (Things that are delicious).

04

Omitting the Particle

In Hong Kong Cantonese, 嘅 (ge3gege3) is frequently dropped in specific situations to make speech more fluid. This usually happens with:

• Close family relationships: You do not need to say "my mother"; you can simply say "I mother".
• Inalienable places: Places like your country, home, or school.

• 我阿媽。

  ngo5 aa3·maa1.ngóh a·mā.ngo5 aa3·maa1.

  My mom.

• 佢細佬。

  keoi5 sai3·lou2.kéuih sai·lóu.koey5 sai3·lou2.

  His younger brother.

• 我屋企。

  ngo5 uk1·kei2.ngóh ūk·kéi.ngo5 uk7·kei2.

  My home.

05

Using '嘅' to mean "Mine" or "The One"

If the object being discussed is already clear from the context, you can omit the noun and end the phrase with 嘅 (ge3gege3). This functions like the English possessive pronouns "mine", "yours", or phrases like "the red one".

• 呢個係我嘅。

  ni1 go3 hai6 ngo5 ge3.nī go haih ngóh ge.ni1 go3 hai6 ngo5 ge3.

  This is mine.

• 嗰個係邊個嘅？

  go2 go3 hai6 bin1 go3 ge3?gó go haih bīn go ge?go2 go3 hai6 bin1 go3 ge3?

  Whose is that one?

• 我要大嘅。

  ngo5 jiu3 daai6 ge3.ngóh yiu daaih ge.ngo5 jiu3 daai6 ge3.

  I want the big one.