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Different Vocabulary List of Chinese Mandarin vs Cantonese

Cantonese is spoken in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong province in China and also widely spoken in Southeast Asia by overseas Chinese. Although Cantonese shares some vocabulary with Mandarin, there are a lot of words which are completely different. Especially there are many words borrowed from English in Cantonese.

Here you will find 40 examples of differences in vocabulary.

English Mandarin Cantonese
tomato 西 蕃茄
potato 土豆 薯仔
carrot 胡萝卜 紅蘿蔔
aubergine 茄子 矮瓜
cabbage 圆白菜 椰菜
corn 玉米 粟米
grape 葡萄 提子
kiwi 猕猴桃 奇異果
french fries 土豆条 薯條
yogurt 酸奶 乳酪
butter 黃油 牛油
restaurant 饭馆 餐廳
bird 雀仔
monkey 猴子 馬騮
octopus 章鱼 八爪魚
squid 乌贼 魷魚
jellyfish 海蜇 水母
ladybug 瓢虫 金龜
grasshopper 蚱蜢 草蜢
yesterday 昨天 尋日
tomorrow 明天 聽日
week 星期 禮拜
cold
face
shoulder 膊頭
leg 大脾
hotel 旅馆 酒店
blanket 毛毯
hair dryer 吹风机 風筒
bag 手袋
umbrella 雨伞
small

 

Cantonese Words borrowed from English

English Mandarin Cantonese
cheese 乳酪 芝士
strawberry 草莓 士多啤梨
cherry 樱桃 車厘子
chocolate 巧克力 朱古力
bus 公车 巴士
taxi 出租 的士

 

Cantonese Words Mixed with English

English Mandarin Cantonese
mayonnaise 蛋黄酱 沙律醬
brown 棕色 啡色

 

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