How to say "Thank you" in Cantonese

When we learn a language, one of the first things we look into (second to swear words, of course) would probably be ways to express gratitude.

In Cantonese, we have two main ways to express gratitude, namely 唔該 （m4 goi1） vs 多謝 （do1 ze6). And no, they are not tomato tomAto. In this blog post, let's explore their usage as well as their variations.

Put simply, in the context of expressing gratitude, we use 唔該 (m4 goi1) when someone does us a favor; 多謝 (do1 ze6) for when someone gifts us a gift, a compliment, or wishes us something.

Here, let's take a closer look at the contexts in which each of these words are used.

唔該 (m4 goi1)

唔該 (m4 goi1) can be used to express gratitude when someone does you a favor. For example when someone holds the door for you, the server serves you a meal, your mum passes your the salt.

唔該 (m4 goi1) can also be used to grab someone's attention when put in front of the request. Kind of like 'excuse me' in English.

Examples:

唔該埋單 (m4 goi1 maai4 daan1) - check please

唔該比個袋我 (m4 goi1 bei2 go3 doi2 ngo5) - please give me a bag

And the most daunting experience when living in Hong Kong, having to say 唔該有落 (m4 goi1 jau5 lok6) when you need to get off the minibus.

Variations

1. 唔該你 (m4 goi1 nei5) adding the word "you" at the end can make it sound more polite and more directed to the person to whom you are expressing gratitude.
2. 唔該晒 (m4 goi1 saai3) for when you want to express extra gratitude.
3. 唔該晒你 (m4 goi1 saai3 nei5) is just a child of the two variations we talked about.

多謝 (do1 ze6)

Used to respond to a compliment, a wish or a gift.

Compliment:

-你件衫好靚呀！(nei5 gin6 saam1 hou2 leng3 aa3!)

-多謝！(do1 ze6!)

Gift:

-呢件衫送俾你。(ni1 gin6 saam1 sung3 bei2 nei5.)

-多謝！(do1 ze6!)

Variations

Pretty much the same as 唔該 (m4 goi1).

1. 多謝晒 (do1 ze6 saai3)
2. 多謝你 (do1 ze6 nei5)
3. 多謝晒你 (do1 ze6 saai3 nei5)

Your turn!

In these scenarios would you use 唔該or多謝？(Answers and explanations below!)

1. Your friend treats you dinner.
2. Your coworker lends you an umbrella.
3. The delivery driver passes you your food.
4. Your mum points out the piece of vegetable stuck between your teeth.
5. You work at a store and a customer buys things from your store.

Answers and explanations

1. 多謝 (do1 ze6) Because the meal is a gift.
2. 唔該 (m4 goi1) Because your coworker is just lending you the umbrella, not gifting.
3. 唔該 (m4 goi1) Because the food is not a gift from the driver.
4. 唔該 (m4 goi1) Mum did you a solid. A reminder is like a favor.
5. 多謝 (do1 ze6) Technically the customer is gifting your store money. When you come to Hong Kong you will hear store workers say this quite often when you pay/leave the store.