Introduction to Jyutping 粵拼 (A )

There are 6 tones in Jyutping.

Initials n b bai1 瘸 (adj.) limp n p pai1 批 (v.) to approve n m mai1 咪 (n.) microphone n f fai1 輝 (n.) brilliance n d dai1 低 (adj.) low n t tai1 梯 (n.) ladder n n nai4 泥 (n.) soil n l lai4 嚟 (v.) to come n g gai1 雞 (n.) chicken n k kai1 溪 (n.) brook n ng ngai1 哀 (v.) to beg n h hai6 係 (v.) be

1 n gw gwai3 貴 (adj.) expensive n kw kwai1 虧 (n.) deficit n w wai3 喂 (v.) to feed n z zai1 劑 (n.) dose n c cai1 妻 (n.) wife n s sai1 西 (n.) west n jai1 曳 (adj.) silly

Finals

Vowel: aa n aa zaa1 揸 (v.) to hold n aai zaai1 齋 (n.) vegan n aau zaau1 嘲 to make fun of n aam zaam6 站 (n.) station n aan zaan3 讚 (v.) to praise n aang zaang1 爭 (v.) to fight for n aap zaap6 集 (v.) to gather n aat zaat3 扎 (n.) bundle n aak zaak3 窄 (adj.) narrow

Vowel: a n ai zai1 擠 (v.) to squeeze (an object) n au zau1 周 (adv.) around n am zam1 斟 (v.) to pour n an zan1 真 (adj.) real n ang zang1 憎 (v.) to hate n ap zap1 汁 (n.) juice n at zat2 侄 (n.) nephew/niece n ak zak1 側 (n.) lateral

2 Vowel: n e se2 寫 (v.) to write n ei sei3 四 (num.) four n eu* deu6 掉 (v.) to dump n em* lem2 舔 (v.) to lick n eng beng6 病 (adj.) sick n ep* gep2 夾 (n.) clip n ek sek6 石 (n.) stone/rock

Vowel: i n i si1 詩 (n.) poem n iu siu1 消 (v.) to disappear n im sim2 閃 (adj.) sparkling n in sin1 先 (adv.) first n ing sing1 升 (v.) to elevate n ip sip3 攝 (v.) to shoot (a scene) n it sit3 洩 (v.) to divulge n ik sik1 識 (v.) to know

Vowel: o n o ho2 可 (aux.) can n oi hoi1 開 (v.) to open n ou hou2 好 (adj.) good n on hon6 汗 (n.) sweat n ong hong1 康 (adj.) healthy n ot hot3 渴 (adj.) thirsty n ok hok6 學 (v.) to learn

Vowel: oe n oe hoe1 靴 (n.) boots n oeng hoeng1 香 (adj.) fragrant

3 n oek goek3 腳 (n.) feet Vowel: eo n eoi seoi1 衰 (adj.) evil n eon seon1 詢 (v.) to consult n eot seot1 摔 (v.) to wrestle

Vowel: u n u fu1 夫 (n.) husband n ui fui1 灰 (adj.) gray n un fun1 歡 (n.) joy n ung fung1 風 (n.) wind n ut fut3 闊 (adj.) wide n uk fuk1 福 (n.) fortune

Vowel: yu n yu syu1 書 (n.) book n yun syun1 孫 (n.) grandchildren n yut syut3 雪 (n.) snow

練習 (lin6-zaap)6 Practice Try to enunciate the following surnames.

Chinese Character Jyutping Mandarin Government Cantonese Romanization 陳 can4 Chan chén 李 lei5 Lee lǐ 張 zoeng1 zhāng 吳 ng4 Ng wú 朱 zyu1 zhū

4 黃、王 wong4 huáng Note: Surnames from Hong Kong use a different romanization system than Jyutping, called Hong Kong Government Cantonese Romanization. Most street names, public housing, and surnames are still using this system today. People coming from Mainland use the Mandarin Pinyin system for their names. Although the main dialects of and other Cantonese regions are Cantonese and other regional dialects, they all use Mandarin Pinyin as the official system to write out their names in roman letters.

VI. Use the following structure to tell us your last name.

我姓吳。 [ngo5 sing3 ng4] My last name is Ng/.

我姓李。 [ngo5 sing3 lei5] My last name is Lee/.

我姓蔡。 [ngo5 sing3 coi3] My last name is Choi/.

A︓你姓咩︖ [nei5 sing3 me1?] What is your surname?

B︓我姓___。 [ngo5 sing3 …] My last name is….

More about the Culture

百家姓 [baak3-gaa1 sing3] is one of the three main readings that collected more than 400 Chinese () surnames during Northern Dynasty. Most of the Chinese Surnames are of single-character, and occasionally double-character.

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趙錢孫李 周吳鄭王 馮陳諸衛 蔣瀋韓楊 朱秦尤許 [ziu6-cin4 syun1-lei5] [zau1-ng4-zeng6-wong4] [fung4-can4 zyu1-wai6] [zoeng2-sam2-hon4-joeng4] [zyu1- ceon4-jau4-heoi2]

何呂施張 孔曹嚴華 金魏陶姜 戚謝鄒喻 柏水窦章 [ho4-leoi5-si1-zoeng1] [hung2-cou4-jim4-waa4] [gam1-ngai6-tou4-goeng1] [cik1-ze6-zau3-jyu6] [paak3-seoi2- dau6-zoeng1]

雲蘇潘葛 奚範彭郎 魯韋昌馬 苗鳳花方 俞任袁柳 [wan4-sou1-pun1-got3] [hai4-faan6-pang4-long4] [lou5-wai5-coeng1-maa5] [miu4-fung6-faa1-fong1] [jyu4- jam6-jyun4-lau5]

Rewrite the following names in Cantonese using Jyutping without marks.

張曼玉 Cheung Man Yuk ______

何鴻燊 Ho Hung-sun ______

周星馳 Chow Sing Chi ______

劉德華 Lau Tak-wah ______

甄子丹 Yen Ji- ______

葉問 ______

李克勤 Lee Hak- ______

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