HKDictionary

At Work in Cantonese

Office Cantonese revolves around 返工 (faan1 gung1, going to work) and the moment everyone waits for, 放工 (fong3 gung1, finishing work). Add your 老闆 (lou5 baan2, boss) and 同事 (tung4 si6, colleagues) and you can hold a conversation about the working day.

faanˉ¹返gungˉ¹工
redo a job that has been poorly done
fong˗₃放gungˉ¹工
to come off work; to get off work; to stop work for the day; to knock off work | Syn.: 收工 | Std. Chin.: 下班
louˏ₅老baanˊ²闆
boss; manager; owner (sometimes written as: 老板; Cantonese 老細)
同事
colleague
hoiˉ¹開wuiˊ²會
to hold a meeting; to attend a meeting; to have a meeting
dinˍ₆電nouˏ₅腦
computer

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say going to work in Cantonese?

返工 (faan1 gung1). The opposite, clocking off, is 放工 (fong3 gung1).

How do you say boss in Cantonese?

老闆 (lou5 baan2). It covers both a business owner and your manager, and is also used for the owner of a small shop or restaurant.

How do you ask a colleague if they are free?

你得唔得閒呀? (nei5 dak1 m4 dak1 haan4 aa3) — are you free? 得閒 (dak1 haan4) means to have free time.

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