Let's Talk Cantonese - Money

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi everyone! So I have question for any native speakers that are watching .... in the video I mention that using the "haih" when talking about dates and money is a mistake, but is it? Do you use "haih" when talking about money or the date? I'm curious to know!

[@liverpix]

For ''today is Wednesday', I would say 'gam yat haih lai bai sam'. But I am not strictly a native speaker but British born Chinese raised in a Cantonese speaking household.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thanks so much for replying, Liverpix!

[@liverpix]

Maybe you don't need it when you read out the date as you did in the beginning but use it when the day is in dispute.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Liverpix ... friends have said the same - explaining they would use haih in more of a sentence kind of situation or for clarification 😊

[@rondieli]

(Native here) For date/time I don't think it is a mistake at all, as I can remember news reporters will use "haih" for the same context as well. "haih" may sound a bit more firm, but virtually there's no difference. And you're correct for money, only if you are referring to the dollar bill in your hand.

[@codychoi3437]

其實而家都有人會講 「兩千蚊」或「兩萬蚊」架，不過總言之，你個教材真係好好，I love it！

[@CantoneseCorner]

Yes! I have heard people say "léuhng chīn mān" $2,000 and léuhng maahn mān ($20,000)! Thanks for sharing that and I'm so glad you like my videos! (Sorry it took me so long to see and reply to your comment.)

[@chaskcho]

Actually,「兩」this word is very tricky. I would like to have some sharing about this. 1) it always happens in phone talking between especially taxi drivers. For example if a taxi driver wants to transfer a phone call order to another driver, so he needs to tell another a phone number like 9824 0251, he will say:「98兩4 0兩51」or「98廿4 0廿51」. It is because it may make some confusion between “2” & “5” through a phone call with bad connection, so they just want to avoid. Here, you may ask is there any confusion if they say「98兩4 0兩51」=「9844 0551」because 「兩」is mentioning the quantity? There is no confusion because if they want to say 「98440551」, they will say 「98孖4 0孖51」（孖meaning “twin” has the same pronunciation as 媽/嗎） 2) we always use 「兩」instead of「二」for mentioning something about quantity for example “two people”「兩個人」instead of 「二個人」, “2 kg” 「兩公斤」instead of「二公斤」. However, there is an exceptional case which is 「両」. This is a unit of weight in Chinese. People usually use 「両」for calculating in HK wet markets. The pronunciation of「両2」is very close to 「兩5」. They always say 「二両」instead of 「兩両」. I think they want to avoid confusion.

[@ilmnt.guidance]

Marguerite, I was reading how you replied a comment down below... You're so kind! Thanks for doing this, you have been such a great Cantonese resource!

[@awesomeat]

Hi there Sue Marguerite, I love your videos! I'm Canadian-born Cantonese myself and my Hong Kong parents raised me with Cantonese music and television, knowing that I wouldn't have any opportunity elsewhere outside of home to practice and retain the Cantonese tongue. Not surprisingly, English has been my dominant language for the past 3 decades now as I slowly forget my Cantonese due to lack of practice. So it's very refreshing to see your videos, especially since it's extremely rare (at least where I'm from, anyway) to see a non-Cantonese person pronounce the language as well as you do. I did have one question for you. At 13:41 of your video, you pronounced Hong Kong as "heurng gong". I've always heard it and pronounced it as "heung gong", but then again, I've never been to Hong Kong, compared to you living there for the past 30 years. I've found it odd that shrimp dumplings are spelled as "har gow" at Chinese restaurants, when I don't hear any 'r' sound in the word for shrimp at all. But perhaps I'm just not hearing/pronouncing the words correctly?

[@CantoneseCorner]

Awesomeat thanks so much!! Honestly I can’t think of any better or fun way to keep up Cantonese than watching TV and listening to music. I can still vividly remember riding in my friend’s car when we were at uni in the states and hearing Leslie sing “Monica”. Seriously, I think: “Thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks Monica 誰能代替你地位 “ was the first thing I knew how to say in Cantonese LOL 😂 Oh! Forgot to say that I’m not sure about the “r” sound in Hèung Góng - maybe it’s just my weird incorrect way of adding an “r” where it doesn’t belong?? 😂 But I’m pretty sure I’ve heard others say it like that too? 🤔 hmmm.... will have to ask my friends and pay more attention!

[@uncpotato]

@@CantoneseCorner For shrimp in Cantonese, it is just a simple Ha, no 'R' sound at the end. Maybe it's just a place holder, like "yat" for 一 as in your board, the t doesn't make a sound. It's sad that there is no standard way to spell Cantonese pronunciation. I'm native speaker in Hong Kong.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi there! Thanks for commenting ... but I'm confused ... can you explain more of what you mean? Do you mean like in restaurants when they spell "hā gáau" as "hargau"? I always found that extra "r" to be weird, but like I said (I think on another video post) I remember my HK friends back in the day pronouncing Canada as "Canada-r". So interesting! For me, the standard way to spell Cantonese is of course the Yale in China system used by Chinese University ... I know that HKU favours Jyutping with the numbers to denote the tones, but that's never made sense to me, nor has the different way the jyutpingers spell the words. Yale all the way! :) (and yes, it is a shame there is no one standard way to spell Cantonese pronunciation like there is for Mandarin)

[@matthewromo2435]

Great video! Thank you. I love keeping an eye out for old coins and bills to collect, but have never encountered a purple $50 note. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority has a small museum on the 55th floor of IFC, with free admission and great views--highly recommended!

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi Matthew! I thought I had replied yesterday, but I don't see it so it must not have sent!! Thanks so much for commenting and yes, I love those purple $50s, but it must be some five years since I've gotten one randomly as change. I think they must have all been taken out of circulation by now. :( Thank you so much for sharing the museum info -- I had no idea, but for sure will be visiting it!

[@errofit1682]

🙏🙏🙏EA

[@chaskcho]

I remember that when I was a kid, my mother taught me about the numbers/ digits. She put the commas differently like this: 1,0000 = 1 萬(maan) 10,0000 = 10 萬(maan) 100,0000 = 100 萬(maan) 1000,0000 = 1000 萬(maan) 1,0000,0000 = 1億(jik) - 100,000,000 = 100 million Therefore, every 4 digits between 2 commas contain 個, 十, 百&千 I think very long time ago Chinese people might present like this but nowadays, HK even Chinese people have already got used to put commas every 3 digits.

[@JesusChristIsLord__]

I make the same mistake with "is", as in "Today is such-and-such a date." I didn't know you could omit that. Thank you. That was helpful!

[@gekkoe808]

Glad to see you back. Thanks for the lesson! :)

[@CantoneseCorner]

You're so welcome!! I'm glad you enjoyed it ... it's nice to be back!

[@sannywong9718]

Hi Sue, I am not a native speaker but I would say “Haih “ when referring to dates and money. That’s how I remember it while growing up in a Chinese speaking household. I suppose even if it is incorrect, all my older Chinese relatives would be thrilled that I could still speak Chinese! Sadly both my parents have passed away so I don’t get much opportunity to speak Chinese anymore.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi Sanny! I miss you and sorry only now seeing your comment from so long ago. How are you? I hope all has been well

[@sonnyhuynh007]

Ms Sue , just out of curiosity who are some of your favorite Hong Kong actor ? I have been watching old TVB series to help with the listening.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi Sonny! Let's see....I used to live in the same building as Michael Tao Dai Yu (陶大宇) in Happy Valley, so he is definitely one I recognise enjoyed watching. I think Eric Tsang (曾志偉) is funny and his voice is so distinct ... Ng Man Tat (吳孟達) and Stephen Chow (周星馳) but I've seen more of their movies than TV work. Probably more, but I don't know all of their names - I didn't/don't watch a lot of TV actually ... I should watch more!!

[@sonnyhuynh007]

Cantonese Corner Ms Sue , Michael was so good in "The Greed of Man" with Adam Cheng.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thanks, Sonny! I just looked it up and it looks so good! I like Vivian Chow and Sean Lau too. I wonder if maybe I did see it once or twice when it was on back in the day?? I really should/should have watched and paid attention to more TV dramas and movies -- now with your suggestions, maybe I will! I caught Michael last night briefly on Jade in an old re-run of Detective Investigation Files :)

[@jasminedoan8677]

I should know you earlier,your lesson is so cool and easy for me to learn.

[@CantoneseCorner]

I’m so glad - sorry I didn’t see your comment earlier! ☺️ Happy learning!

[@mrtsiqsin2290]

Welcome back, Sue!!!

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thanks! It's good to be back :)

[@actionjumper42]

I was wondering, maybe as a bonus video, could you go over the colloquial ways of saying certain amounts of money? I just learned the other day that one hundred dollars is 一旧水，and some other ones I didn't remember.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Sure! I'll do some research (i.e. asking my friends and family :) and can include it in an upcoming video ... I was thinking I could also do the hand signals for the numbers and also the different way they have of writing the numbers in the market and on money/cheques. I always found that so interesting!

[@lexaaxel916]

Welcome back! Thank you for your video! Loved seeing all the beautiful Hong Kong dollars and hearing a little about what is on each note. Really interesting! One thing I am wondering is if it is easy to hear the difference between 'baak' and baat' as I know both 't' and 'k' are non-voiced consonants. Perhaps it is something you pick up over time - or maybe context? :)

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi there!! Thanks! It's good to "see" you again, too! :) I saw your comment tonight just as I was getting ready to record another video (I'm going to post it in a second -- it's Money Part 2) and included a bit about the "baak" (hundred 百) and "baat" (eight 八) in it since I'm sure other people have the same question/feeling. So perfect timing!! They do sound quite similar, but and I guess the more I used them, the more distinct they started to sound (plus context does help). I hope you'll find it useful!

[@lexaaxel916]

Yay! Awesome - thanks Sue! I will watch it now! :) Yes, I imagine I will pick it up with exposure and practice. :) Have a nice afternoon!

[@rb4108]

Hi US subscriber here! In the US, we go to the very last cent. How do you say $281.68? and $102.99? and $112.55?

[@dilgurung5378]

How can i buy Let's talk Cantonese book?

[@ma.donnavallecer3558]

how will you say 7,006.00 php in cantonese?

[@liverpix]

Is that Lets Talk Cantonese book by Victoria Liu from 1994 ? Thanks.

[@CantoneseCorner]

It is!! Do you have a copy? I use it because otherwise I wouldn't have any kind of structure for lessons and I also think it's set up pretty well. But I also draw from other books, like Everyday Cantonese from CUHK and RTHK (by Chik Hon Man) -- another great book, I think, albeit a bit outdated (at least my edition!).

[@liverpix]

Thanks. I don't have a copy but did look it up on Amazon uk, where I live. It was selling for a ridiculous £82 for a used copy. There was a cheaper one on Amazon.com for $16 though. I enjoy your videos very much as you have a very pleasant voice.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Wow, that's crazy!! I wonder why they never did make another edition of the book ... maybe with '97 on the horizon there wasn't much demand for Cantonese (for awhile at least)? I'm so glad you enjoy the videos ... and I actually do voiceover work and a bit of singing in Hong Kong, so thanks for the compliment!

[@mpt3133]

Hi can i ask about counting money in cantonese Like $ 4,080 $ 209.50 $ 1,001 $ 27,009.50 $ 2,301 $ 107 $ 15,800.50 Thank you

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi MPT! I'd be happy to answer. Seems the zero may be causing the issue? When it comes to zeros, you have to say the word zero (lìhng) when the zero(s) come between two numbers greater than zero and not divided by the decimal point. So for the first one, it would be in English as if you were saying: "four thousand, zero, eighty dollars" or in Cantonese: "sei chīn lìhng baat sahp mān". The second $209.50 would be: "two hundred zero nine and half" or yih baak lìhng gáu go bun. (Remember 50 cents is half a dollar, so just said as "half" or bun.) "$1,001" is: One thousand zero one dollars or Yāt chīn lìhng yāt mān (only one lìhng is needed). $27,009.50 is Twenty thousand 7 thousand zero nine and half or "yih maahn chāt chīn lìhng gáu go bun. $2,301 is Two thousand, three hundred zero one dollars: yih chīn sāam baak lìhng yāt mān. So can you now get the last two? I hope that helps!

[@mpt3133]

107 - yat baak lihng chat man 15,800.50 - yat maan ng chin baat baak lihng go bun 4, 080 - sei chin lihng baat sahp man Thank you very helpful for me

[@CantoneseCorner]

@@mpt3133 Ah!!! I realise it was a little bit of a trick question asking you to do $15,800.50 because if you have a zero before the decimal point you won’t say “go bun” but “ng houh” 😅 so it would be “yāt maahn ng chīn baat baak lìhng ng houh.

[@mpt3133]

Ah ok noted 4,080.50 Sei chin lihng baat saph ng houh

[@mpt3133]

Thank you very much 😊 ... i like to learned Cantonese coz I'm working in hk soon 😊

[@makingwaves-d1v]

What does go mean? Does it mean decimal?

[@chaskcho]

“go” in Chinese is 「個」 meaning “units digit”here

[@TheMaristta]

Thanks and this is an amazing 😉 video !!

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it! :)

[@actionjumper42]

I'm a bit perplexed. In my dictionary, it has 钱 both as a high falling tone and a low falling tone. Does it depend on context or something? I've heard people use the low falling tone before, but maybe some people also use the high falling tone? Thanks for the video btw. *Edit oh boy, I just learned that in the phrase 幾多錢, it's actually a rising tone. Now I'm even more confused

[@actionjumper42]

MrTsiqsin thank you so much! Now I get it

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi Bruce! What was Mr Tsiqsin's reply? Can you share it here? I'm curious, too!!

[@actionjumper42]

Cantonese Corner weird, I guess he deleted his comment. He said that when used with certain words like in 錢幣 then it's the low falling tone, but by itself and in colloquial usage it's the high tone I guess.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Interesting. It's funny because in my dictionary it has it as low falling, too, but I've never heard it pronounced any other way than the mid-rising!

[@uncpotato]

@@actionjumper42 It's not weird at all. In fact you will find tons of example like this, which makes Cantonese hard to master. Many character will have two different tones. 錢 is low falling tone, which sometimes refer as a "read-out" tone. But we will say it in mid-rising for all circumstances, (which sound much natural), except in cases when it combines with other character and form a term, such as 錢幣 you mentioned. Or like 錢財 means property, and also 錢包 means purse. 零用錢 means pocket money. All should say in low falling tone. If you say it in mid-rising, sometimes it still works (like the last example) but will sound a bit odd in other cases.

[@errofit1682]

🙏🙏🙏EA

[@Kolya_Volkov]

Hello are you fluent non native Cantonese? Could you translate to me this cantonese sentences and write the transliteration cantonese? thanks 跟擁抱無窮無數恩賜, 與神來同看光輝的印證, 深刻鑄牆中

[@SSL_SSL]

蘇珊，你好! 好耐冇見。歡迎你返到嚟香港。我好高興喺網上認識你同跟你溝通 。身為一個美國人, 你啲中文水準好犀利啦! 我好喜歡你嘅教學風格, 非常有和味。我好鍾意聽你講廣東話。你發音好標準呀。俾你滿分。我已經成為你嘅特別互聯網觀察者。你教得好! 我支持你。請繼續努力! 請你包括所有廣東話嘅字幕表達自己。唔該。 加拿大嘅問候! 史蒂夫 I wish you a productive and stress-free day ahead. As a token of my acknowledgement for your good work, I once again want to show my appreciation by dedicating these to you. Enjoy and take care of yourself !!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/a57UdZWDj6aGqMk kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYKViGSIl9ymiNk kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGOWiZmLh8x3hc0

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thank you so much!! I only recognised the first song, but all three are lovely -- thanks for sharing them with me! It's so kind of you to leave such a flattering comment -- I'm touched!! I appreciate your support and will try to add subtitles to future videos. I hope you're enjoying your summer in Canada ... I imagine it's not as hot (and currently rainy) as it is here! :)

[@SSL_SSL]

You're welcome!! I really meant what I said about you. I am glad that you enjoyed all the songs I sent you (now and back in March of this year). I will continue to be an avid watcher of your videos. I am writing to you from Toronto, Canada. It's very hot and humid here, very much like Hong Kong in the summertime. I am brushing up on my French and German language skills to prepare myself for the trip to Europe in the not-too-distant future. Before that I hope to visit Chicago to reunite with my long-lost cousin from Guangzhou. More to come!!!

[@CantoneseCorner]

Wow - sounds like you have a busy few months planned!! I've never been to Toronto but am originally from Chicago, so have a wonderful time with your cousin there ... Chicago in the summer is so nice! I look forward to hearing about your adventures -- safe travels and bon voyage! :)

[@harmoniousworld4053]

毫 文？？

[@grahamchan6327]

Stop trying to impress the Cantonese speakers and slow down for the beginners...🤔

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi there! Thanks for commenting .... good advice to slow down ... I'm told that often, and I do try to remember, but I guess growing up in a family with 10 brothers and sisters, I had to speak fast to get a word in or else be left behind, so speaking fast comes naturally to me. LOL As for trying to impress native speakers ... that actually made me laugh since I'm not trying to impress them, I'm trying to impress learners so they'll know that I actually can speak well enough to have something useful to say and teach them! :) I never imagined native speakers (I'm guessing you are?) would even want to watch my channel, but I am grateful they do and that they want to comment to correct me and offer their take on things. I love a good discussion and anything to promote Cantonese learning! :)

[@grahamchan6327]

@@CantoneseCorner sorry I sounded so harsh.😊.......I was adopted by Chinese parents (I'm mixed Caucasian)...basically rejected speaking the language....now decided to brush up on Cantonese.....thanks ...keep up the good work... 👍😀🙏

[@peterg0]

講錢失感情...哈哈!

[@CantoneseCorner]

LOL! I hope not! :) :) :)

[@marcuskervy6507]

Yes your white board is really hard to read. 是的，你的白板真的很难看.