These essential words are the key to expressing time in Cantonese and building fluency. By learning them, you’ll speak more naturally and respond quicker in conversations.
Benefits:
- Strengthen memorization of key words.
- Speak faster with a solid grasp of time expressions.
- Gain confidence in everyday Cantonese conversations.
How to Use the Flashcards:
- Familiarize: Go through the flashcards, listen to the pronunciation, and use each word in simple sentences.
- Repetition: Use Quizlet’s spaced repetition feature to reinforce memory.
- Daily Practice: Spend 5-10 minutes daily reviewing the words to improve recall.
- Apply in Context: Use time words in everyday conversations to solidify your learning.

yesterday | 尋日 cham4 yat6 |
today | 今日 gam1 yat6 |
Wednesday | 星期三 sing1 kei4 saam1 |
Tomorrow | 聽日 ting1 yat6 |
Sunday | 星期日 sing1 kei4 yat6 |
Last week | 上星期 seung6 sing1 kei4 |
Next week | 下星期 ha6 sing1 kei4 |
last summer | 上個夏天 soeng5 go3 haa6 tin1 |
last year (tone change on the second word) | 上年 seung6 nin2 |
last month | 上個月 seung6 go3 yut6 |
two months later | 兩個月後 leung5 go3 yut6 hau6 |
one year ago | 一年前 yat1 nin4 chin4 – jat1 nin4 cin4 |
three days ago | 三日前 saam1 jat1 chin4 |
5 o’ clock today | 今日五點 gam1 yat6 ng5 dim2 |
a quarter past five | 五點十五分 (五點三) ng5 dim2 sap6 ng5 fan1 ( ng5 dim2 saam1) |
this morning | 今朝 gam1 jiu1 |
last night | 尋晚 cham4 maan5 |
tommorrow night | 聽晚 ting1 maan5 |
tommorrow afternoon | 聽日下午 ting3 jat6 haa6 ng5 |
tommorrow morning | 聽日上午 ting1 yat6 seung6 ng5 |
tommorrow pm | 聽日下晝 ting1 yat6 ha6 jau3 – ting3 jat6 haa6 zau3 |
tommorrow morning (another way to say) | 聽日上晝 ting1 yat6 seung6 jau3 |
noon | 中午 jung1 ng5 – zung1 ng5 中middle 午 noon |
midnight | 凌晨 ling4 san4 |
in the middle of the night (half of the night) – tone change (second word) | 半夜 bun3 je6 |
daytime | 日頭 yat6 tau2 |
the whole day | 全日 chyun4 yat6 |
all the time, always | 成日 sing4 yat6 |
later (the same day) | 晏啲 aan3 di1 |
a little bit later | 晏少少 aan3 siu2 siu2 |
last year (old year) | 舊年 gau6 nin2 |
next year | 出年 cheut1 nin2 |
next two weeks | 下兩個星期 ha6 leung5 go3 sing1 kei4 |
three days later | 三日後 saam1 yat6 hau6 |
after three years | 三年後 saam1 nin4 hau6 |
after three weeks | 三星期後 saam1 sing1 kei4 hau6 |
after three months | 三個月後 saam1 go3 yut6 hau6 |
I went to dim sum restaurant 3 days ago | 三日前, 我去茶樓 saam1 yat6 chin4, ngo5 heui3 cha4 lau4 |