Learn Cantonese - Quick / Easy / Efficient: 2000 Key Vocabularies

By Pinhok Languages

A curated Cantonese word frequency list
Are you looking for unconventional ways to speed up the process of learning Cantonese? Then this book is exactly what you are looking for. Following the Pareto principle (80/20 rule), this book is built to streamline the learning process by concentrating on the core words and sentence structures that make up everyday conversations. The result is a unique vocabulary book with 2000 of the most important Cantonese words and phrases ordered by their frequency of use.

Who this Cantonese learning book is for:
This book is for beginners and intermediate learners of Cantonese who are self-motivated and willing to spend 15 to 20 minutes a day on learning vocabularies. The simple structure of this vocabulary book is the result of taking all unnecessary things out allowing the learning effort to solely be spent on the parts that help you make the biggest progress in the shortest amount of time. If you are willing to put in 20 minutes of learning every day, this book is very likely the single best investment you can make if you are at a beginner or intermediate level. You will be amazed at the speed of progress within a matter of just weeks of daily practice.

Who this Cantonese frequency list is not for:
This book is not for you if you are an advanced learner of Cantonese. In this case, please go to our website or search for our Cantonese vocabulary book which comes with more vocabularies and is grouped by topic which is ideal for advanced learners who want to improve their language capabilities in certain fields.
Furthermore, if you are looking for an all in one Cantonese learning book that guides you through the various steps of learning Cantonese, this book is most likely also not what you are looking for. This book contains vocabularies only and we expect buyers to learn things like grammar and pronunciation either from other sources or through language courses. The strength of this book is its focus on quick acquisition of core vocabularies which comes at the expense of information many people might expect in a conventional language learning book. Please be aware of this when making the purchase.

How to use this Cantonese workbook:
This book is ideally used on a daily basis, reviewing a set number of pages in each session. The book is split into sections of 50 vocabularies which allows you to step by step progress through the book. Let’s for example say you are currently reviewing vocabularies 101 to 200. Once you know vocabularies 101 to 150 very well, you can start learning vocabularies 201 to 250 and on the next day skip 101-150 and continue reviewing vocabularies 151 to 250. This way, step by step, you will work your way through the book and your language skills will jump with each page you master.

Some final thoughts:
Like many language hacking methods, this book is quite unconventional in its approach, but for a driven person that uses it correctly it can significantly speed up the learning process. Vocabulary books have been around for centuries and as with so many things that have been around for some time, they are not very fashionable and a bit boring, but they usually work quite well – and that is what counts in the end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pinhok Languages
• Release date: May 14, 2019

Book preview

1 - 50

I

我 (ngo5)

you (singular)

你 (nei5)

he

佢 (keoi5)

she

佢 (keoi5)

it

佢 (keoi5)

we

我哋 (ngo5 dei6)

you (plural)

你哋 (nei5 dei6)

they

佢哋 (keoi5 dei6)

what

咩 (me1)

who

邊個 (bin1 go3)

where

邊到 (bin1 dou6)

why

點解 (dim2 gaai2)

how

點 (dim2)

which

邊個 (bin1 go3)

when

幾時 (gei2 si4)

then

然後 (jin4 hau6)

if

如果 (jyu4 gwo2)

really

真 (zan1)

but

但係 (daan6 hai6)

because

因為 (jan1 wai6)

not

唔 (m4)

this

呢個 (ni1 go3)

I need this

我要呢個 (ngo5 jiu3 ni1 go3)

How much is this?

呢個幾錢？ (ni1 go3 gei2 cin2)

that

嗰個 (go2 go3)

all

所有 (so2 jau5)

or

或者 (waak6 ze2)

and

同 (tung4)

to know

知 (zi1)

I know

我知 (ngo5 zi1)

I don't know

我唔知 (ngo5 m4 zi1)

to think

諗 (nam2)

to come

來 (lai4)

to put

放 (fong3)

to take

攞 (lo2)

to find

搵到 (wan2 dou3)

to listen

聽 (ting1)

to work

做嘢 (zou6 je5)

to talk

講 (gong2)

to give (somebody something)

畀 (bei2)

to like

鐘意 (zung1 ji3)

to help

幫 (bong1)

to love

愛 (oi3)

to call

打電話 (daa2 din6 waa2)

to wait

等 (dang2)

I like you

我鐘意你 (ngo5 zung1 ji3 nei5)

I don't like this

我唔鐘意呢個 (ngo5 m4 zung1 ji3 ni1 go3)

Do you love me?

你愛唔愛我呀? (nei5 oi3 m4 oi3 ngo5 aa3)

I love you

我愛你 (ngo5 oi3 nei5)

0

零 (ling4)

51 - 100

1

一 (jat1)

2

二 (ji6)

3

三 (saam1)

4

四 (sei3)

5

五 (ng5)

6

六 (luk6)

7

七 (cat1)

8

八 (baat3)

9

九 (gau2)

10

十 (sap6)

11

十一 (sap6 jat1)

12

十二 (sap6 ji6)

13

十三 (sap6 saam1)

14

十四 (sap6 sei3)

15

十五 (sap6 ng5)

16

十六 (sap6 luk6)

17

十七 (sap6 cat1)

18

十八 (sap6 baat3)

19

十九 (sap6 gau2)

20

二十 (ji6 sap6)

new

新 (san1)

old (not new)

舊 (gau6)

few

少 (siu2)

many

多 (do1)

how much?

幾多？ (gei2 do1)

how many?

幾多？ (gei2 do1)

wrong

錯 (co3)

correct

啱 (ngaam1)

bad

差 (caa1)

good

好 (hou2)

happy

開心 (hoi1 sam1)

short (length)

短 (dyun2)

long

長 (coeng4)

small

小 (siu2)

big

大 (daai6)

there

嗰度 (go2 dou6)

here

呢度 (ni1 dou6)

right

右 (jau6)

left

左 (zo2)

beautiful

靚 (leng3)

young

後生 (hau6 saang1)

old (not young)

老 (lou5)

hello

你好 (nei5 hou2)

see you later

等陣見 (dang2 zan6 gin3)

ok

得 (dak1)

take care

小心 (siu2 sam1)

don't worry

唔使擔心 (m4 sai2 daam1 sam1)

of course

當然 (dong1 jin4)

good day

早晨 (zou2 san4)

hi

哈佬 (haa1 lou2)

101 - 150

bye bye

拜拜 (baai3 baai3)

good bye

再見 (zoi3 gin3)

excuse me

唔好意思 (m4 hou2 ji3 si1)

sorry

對唔住 (deoi3 m4 zyu6)

thank you

多謝 (do1 ze6)

please

唔該 (m4 goi1)

I want this

我要呢個 (ngo5 jiu3 ni1 go3)

now

而家 (ji4 gaa1)

afternoon

下晝 (haa6 zau3)

morning (9:00-11:00)

上晝 (soeng6 zau3)