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Ride the MTR in Cantonese

The MTR announces everything in Cantonese, English and Mandarin, so the station is one of the easiest places to start listening. These are the words printed on the signs and repeated over the speakers on every single trip.

deiˍ₆地tit˗₃鐵
subway; MTR; abbreviation for 地下鐵路
車站
station
jyutˍ₆月toiˎ₄台
(railway) platform
ceˉ¹車soengˉ¹廂
carriage
japˍ₆入zaapˍ₆閘
to enter the gate (of MTR)
ceotˉ¹出zaapˍ₆閘
literally: to exit the barrier [written and colloquial]; for a prostitute to finish serving a client [colloquial] [written and colloquial]
zyun˗₃轉ceˉ¹車
transfer to another bus, train, etc.
ceotˉ¹出hauˊ²口
export; to export
tauˎ₄頭baanˉ¹班ceˉ¹車
the first bus, metro [Syn.] 首班車
meiˏ₅尾baanˉ¹班ceˉ¹車
the last bus, metro [Syn.]: 末班車

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say MTR in Cantonese?

Most people just say the English letters, or 地鐵 (dei6 tit3) — the general word for a subway system.

What do 入閘 and 出閘 mean?

入閘 (jap6 zaap6) is tapping in through the gate and 出閘 (ceot1 zaap6) is tapping out. 閘 is the gate itself.

How do you ask where to change trains in Cantonese?

邊度轉車呀? (bin1 dou6 zyun3 ce1 aa3) — where do I change trains? 轉車 (zyun3 ce1) works for buses too.

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