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Handout 3-1: Vocabulary Sheet |
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Written by Taospark
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Saturday, 11 October 2008 |
Vocabulary
Cantonese pronunciation in italics are the formal LSHK (Linguistic Society of Hong Kong) romanization of the word.
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Numbers 0-10
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零/〇
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一
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二
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三
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四
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五
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六
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七
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八
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九
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十
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LĒONG/LĒONG-ŎN
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YĒT
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NGĀ
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XLCŎM
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XLĀ
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'M
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LŬK
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TĒT
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BŬT/WŬT
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GŬ
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SHĒP
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leng/leng-don
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yut
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yee
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sahm
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sai
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oom
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luk
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chut
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bot
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gow
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shup
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Hundred
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Thousand
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Ten Thousand
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百
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千
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万
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BŎK
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TŎN
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MŬN
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bok
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cheen
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mon
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 You may notice a large difference in Chinese numeration at ten thousand. Whereas Western number places change every 3 places (ones, thousands, millions, and so on), Chinese scales its number places differently. Ten thousand is not 十千 but MŎN (万). This pattern continues until one hundred million which is then called YŎT (亿). It is important to keep in mind the difference between the Chinese MŎN and the English million.
HAU-GŪ MAU GŎN-AU! Long time no see!
HĪ, HAU GŪ-Ŏ! Yeah, (haven't seen you in a) long time!
NĀ KOI-SE DŌ MOIT YĔOH? What are you doing now?
NGOI KOI-SE HUI SĒNG BŬN. I'm going to class right now.
Alternate Dialog:
HAU-LOI MAU GŎN-AU NĀ! Long while no see!
HĪ, GĀ NŎN-Ŏ! Yeah, (it's been) many years!
KOI-SĒ NĀ-GŬ MŎ ŎNG BŎ GA HOW-Ŏ? How are your mother and father now?
QUOI HĪ HAU-HAU. They are very good.
This dialogue is designed to greet an old friend or a family member that you have not seen for some months or years. You will hear or may have already heard variants of these phrases in Toisanese conversations. When getting acquainted again with someone, the usual subjects of conversations are the same in any language - job and family. Family, however, will often be the most polite subject to approach first.
You should avoid handshakes or hugs unless the person you're talking to is very Westernized. If the person you're speaking to is surprised to hear you speaking Toisanese, be sure to tell them you're learning or just recently learned which is a great way to break the ice.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 20 December 2008 )
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