Count from 1 to 10 in Cantonese

Cantonese is a difficult Chinese language, however counting to 10 is very simple. Just use the pronunciation that's in this article.

Steps

  1. One: 一 = yuht. to say "yuht" say it with an exclamation mark. like this, "Yuht!" but say it fast and shortly.
  2. Two: 二 = ngee. to say "ngee" say it lowly and longer than "yuht." Say it kind of like a G and a N put together.
  3. Three: 三 = sahm. say it normally.
  4. Four: 四 = say. Say it like you would say, "Say that." Emphasis on the "say"
  5. Five: 五 = mmm. This is tricky. Instead of saying, "Mmm!" Like you tasted something good. Say it slowly and rising at the end, "Mmm..." Also, make sure your tongue touches the roof of your mouth while you're saying it.
  6. Six: 六 = looke. It is like a cross between look and loke. Say it like "yuht!"
  7. Seven: 七 = tuck "Tch" and then the "uck" sound. Say it quickly and shortly, and make sure you let your voice rise up into a higher pitch at the end.
  8. Eight: 八 = bat. Say bat not with a low vowel, but kind of stretched out.
    • Imagine it as a cross between a and o. br>
  9. Nine: 九 = gow. As with 5, the word rises at the end.
  10. Ten: 十 = sup. Say it like, "What's sup", except make the "u" sound more like an extended "a". Emphasis on the "sup"

Tips

  • Buy books and CDs that teach Cantonese.
  • Because Cantonese is a tonal language (six tones versus Mandarin's four/five!), it may help you to think of it as a "tune". Counting should have an "up - down - up - down" sort of lilt. One is a higher tone, Two is a lower tone... If written as capitals vs lowercase... ONE... two... THREE... four... FIVE... six... (or YAHT, yee, SAHM, say, UNG, lok, BAHT, got, GAU, sop...)
  • Listen to Cantonese people around you.

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