Convenience Store

1. 要唔要叮熱？

   jiu3 m4 jiu3 ding1 jit6?

   Would you like it heated up?

   Usage

   Said by staff. You will be asked when you bring a lunchbox or steamed buns to the till. Answer "jiu3, m4 goi1" (yes please) or "m4 sai2 laa3, do1 ze6" (no thanks)

   Grammar Note

   "Ding1" is a Hong Kong verb coined from the ping of a microwave, used in "ding1 faan6" (nuke the rice) and "ding1 jit6". It is far more colloquial than the written "gaa1 jit6". The A-not-A pattern "V m4 V" is the default way to form questions in Cantonese

2. 唔該幫我叮熱佢

   m4 goi1 bong1 ngo5 ding1 jit6 keoi5

   Could you heat this up for me, please?

   Usage

   Use this to ask before staff offer. In Hong Kong the microwave sits behind the counter and staff work it. Shops are cramped and fast-moving, so say it as you hand the item over

   Grammar Note

   "M4 goi1" covers both requests and light thanks, distinct from "do1 ze6" which thanks someone for a gift or favour. Cantonese "keoi5" refers to people and objects alike and sits after the verb as its object

3. 使唔使匙羹？

   sai2 m4 sai2 ci4 gang1?

   Would you like a spoon?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Since the disposable plastic tableware ban of April 2024, plastic spoons, forks and knives are prohibited and have been replaced by wooden or paper ones. Decline with "m4 sai2 laa3, do1 ze6"

   Grammar Note

   "Ci4 gang1" is a distinctly Cantonese word where Mandarin says "sháozi" or "tāngchí". Cantonese is full of such divergent everyday vocabulary: "syut3 gwai6" (fridge), "si6 do1" (store, from English)

4. 唔該俾對筷子我

   m4 goi1 bei2 deoi3 faai3 zi2 ngo5

   Chopsticks, please

   Usage

   Use it when buying cup noodles or a lunchbox. For a napkin, say "m4 goi1 bei2 zoeng1 zi2 gan1 ngo5". Seating is scarce, so most people carry their food to a park or office

   Grammar Note

   Cantonese orders the double-object construction as "bei2 + thing + person", putting the recipient last. Mandarin does the opposite ("gěi wǒ yī shuāng kuàizi"), and this reversal is one of Cantonese's signature features

5. 使唔使飲管？

   sai2 m4 sai2 jam2 gun2?

   Would you like a straw?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Plastic straws were banned outright in April 2024 and replaced with paper ones. Straws already attached to drink cartons are exempt

   Grammar Note

   "Jam2 gun2" combines "drink" with "tube". Mandarin builds the same object from "suck" instead — "xīguǎn" — a neat illustration of how the two varieties pick different verbs

6. 呢個買一送一

   ni1 go3 maai5 jat1 sung3 jat1

   This one is buy-one-get-one-free

   Usage

   Said by staff. Alongside "buy one get one free" you will see "second item half price" and "two for $20". The offers are printed large on shelf tags, and staff often point out if you took only one

   Grammar Note

   "Ni1" (also pronounced nei1) is the Cantonese proximal demonstrative, equivalent to Mandarin "zhè". The distal counterpart is "go2", as in "go2 go3" (that one)

7. 使唔使收據？

   sai2 m4 sai2 sau1 geoi3?

   Would you like the receipt?

   Usage

   Said by staff. If you decline it is binned. When you pay by Octopus the remaining balance is printed on the slip, so take it if you want to check what is left on the card

   Grammar Note

   "Sai2" is the Cantonese verb for needing something, and "m4 sai2" means "no need" — the same word appears in "m4 sai2 haak3 hei3" (you're welcome, literally "no need for politeness")

8. 使唔使膠袋？一個一蚊

   sai2 m4 sai2 gaau1 doi2? jat1 go3 jat1 man1

   Do you need a plastic bag? One dollar each

   Usage

   Said by staff. Under Hong Kong's plastic bag charging scheme the price rose to HK$1 per bag on 31 December 2022 and free bags are prohibited. Only frozen goods and food-hygiene cases are exempt. Decline with "m4 sai2 laa3"

   Grammar Note

   "Man1" is the colloquial Cantonese counter for dollars, equivalent to Mandarin "kuài". Hong Kongers say "sap6 man1" (ten dollars) or "jat1 baak3 man1" (a hundred) in ordinary speech almost exclusively

9. 唔該分開兩個袋

   m4 goi1 fan1 hoi1 loeng5 go3 doi2

   Two separate bags, please

   Usage

   Use it to separate hot food from cold drinks — but remember each bag costs a dollar, so asking for two adds two dollars. To split the payment instead, say "fan1 hoi1 maai4 daan1"

   Grammar Note

   When counting objects Cantonese uses "loeng5" rather than "ji6" for two; "ji6" appears only in prices, numbers and ordinals. Mandarin draws the same distinction between "liǎng" and "èr"

10. 收唔收八達通？

    sau1 m4 sau1 baat3 daat6 tung1?

    Do you take Octopus?

    Usage

    Every convenience store in Hong Kong takes Octopus, so in practice you barely need to ask. The card runs the MTR, buses, ferries, shops, supermarkets and vending machines on a single tap, and visitors can buy one at the airport or any station. AlipayHK and PayMe are now widespread too

    Grammar Note

    "Sau1" means to accept or take in, and is the standard verb for asking whether a payment method works: "sau1 m4 sau1 seon3 jung6 kaat1?" (do you take credit cards), "sau1 m4 sau1 jin6 gam1?" (do you take cash)

11. 呢度有冇位坐？

    ni1 dou6 jau5 mou5 wai2 co5?

    Is there anywhere to sit here?

    Usage

    Rents are punishing and Hong Kong convenience stores are tiny, so very few have anywhere to sit. Some newer large 7-Elevens have a counter, but the norm is to take your food outside — parks and waterfront benches are where people eat

    Grammar Note

    Cantonese has a dedicated character "mou5" as the negative of "jau5" (to have), where Mandarin needs two syllables ("méiyǒu"). Pairing them as "jau5 mou5" makes an existential A-not-A question

12. 我要一杯思樂冰

    ngo5 jiu3 jat1 bui1 si1 lok6 bing1

    One Slurpee, please

    Usage

    The Slurpee is 7-Eleven Hong Kong's signature frozen drink, dispensed by you from a machine in the store. Cola is the classic flavour and it comes in small and large. The same shops run a hot-snack counter selling fish balls and siu mai

    Grammar Note

    "Si1 lok6 bing1" transliterates "Slurpee" into Cantonese sounds and adds "bing1" (ice). Hong Kong is full of such loans embedded in everyday speech: "dik1 si2" (taxi), "baa1 si2" (bus), "si6 do1 be1 lei2" (strawberry)

13. 熱飲喺邊個貨架？

    jit6 jam2 hai2 bin1 go3 fo3 gaa2?

    Which shelf are the hot drinks on?

    Usage

    Chilled cabinets dominate, but in winter hot canned drinks appear in a warming case — lemon tea, Ovaltine and chrysanthemum tea are the staples. For freshly brewed coffee, use the 7-Café machine in 7-Eleven

    Grammar Note

    "Hai2" is a Cantonese-only character marking location, equivalent to Mandarin "zài". The interrogative "bin1 go3" means both "which one" and "who", disambiguated by context

14. 呢度可唔可以增值八達通？

    ni1 dou6 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 zang1 zik6 baat3 daat6 tung1?

    Can I top up my Octopus card here?

    Usage

    You can top up an Octopus card with cash at any 7-Eleven or Circle K till, normally in multiples of HK$50 — handy for skipping the queue at station machines. A card that has gone into negative balance can also be settled here

    Grammar Note

    For two-syllable verbs the A-not-A question repeats only the first syllable: "ho2 m4 ho2 ji5", not "ho2 ji5 m4 ho2 ji5". The same contraction gives "zung1 m4 zung1 ji3" (do you like it)

15. 呢度可唔可以交電費？

    ni1 dou6 ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 gaau1 din6 fai3?

    Can I pay an electricity bill here?

    Usage

    7-Eleven Hong Kong acts as a bill-payment agent for electricity, water, gas and phone accounts — just show the barcode on the bill at the till. Useful for longer stays and rented flats; payment is by cash or Octopus

    Grammar Note

    The suffix "fai3" turns a noun into a fee: din6 fai3 (electricity), seoi2 fai3 (water), hok6 fai3 (tuition), ce1 fai3 (fare). The verb "gaau1" is what you do with fees and paperwork — you hand them in

16. 呢個飯盒係咪今日要食晒？

    ni1 go3 faan6 hap2 hai6 mai6 gam1 jat6 jiu3 sik6 saai3?

    Does this lunchbox have to be eaten today?

    Usage

    Hong Kong convenience-store meals have a short shelf life and the label reads "consume before" this date. A different phrase, "best before", marks quality rather than safety. Items nearing the date sometimes carry a discount sticker

    Grammar Note

    "Saai3" attaches after a verb to mean "completely, all of it" — a Cantonese-specific complement: "sik6 saai3" (eat it all), "jung6 saai3" (use it all up). It resembles Mandarin "wán" but stresses totality of quantity

17. 有冇會員卡？

    jau5 mou5 wui2 jyun4 kaat1?

    Do you have a membership card?

    Usage

    Said by staff. 7-Eleven runs the yuu rewards programme and Circle K its own stamp scheme, both collected through an app QR code. If you have none, just say "mou5" — visitors can shop normally without signing up

    Grammar Note

    "Kaat1" transliterates English "card", and Cantonese typically assigns loanwords the high-level first tone. A negative answer to "jau5 mou5" is simply "mou5" — Cantonese favours these one-word replies

18. 買酒要睇身份證

    maai5 zau2 jiu3 tai2 san1 fan2 zing3

    We need to see ID to sell alcohol

    Usage

    Said by staff. Since 30 November 2018 Hong Kong law has banned selling alcohol to under-18s, and younger-looking customers are asked to show ID; visitors can present a passport. Note there is no time restriction on alcohol sales here, so you can buy 24 hours a day — quite unlike Thailand

    Grammar Note

    "Tai2" is the everyday Cantonese verb for looking, where Mandarin uses "kàn". It ranges widely: "tai2 hei3" (watch a film), "tai2 ji1 sang1" (see a doctor)

Browse all TravelPhrases languages