Lesson 6 · Core Grammar

Existence & Having: 有 jau5

Same as Mandarin 有 but with Cantonese-specific patterns and constructions.

For Mandarin Speakers

Cantonese 有 jau5 works just like Mandarin 有 yǒu for possession and existence. The main difference is the question form: Cantonese uses 有冇 jau5 mou5 instead of Mandarin 有沒有 yǒu méiyǒu.

The verb 有 jau5 (to have / there is) works the same as Mandarin 有 yǒu in most situations. If you know how to use 有 in Mandarin, you already know most of how it works in Cantonese.

For possession: 我有三本書 ngo5 jau5 saam1 bun2 syu1 (I have three books). For existence: 呢度有人 ni1 dou6 jau5 jan4 (There are people here). These patterns are identical to Mandarin.

The key difference is how you form yes/no questions. Cantonese uses the 有冇 jau5 mou5 pattern, where 冇 mou5 means 'not have'. This replaces Mandarin's 有沒有 yǒu méiyǒu. For example: 你有冇錢？ nei5 jau5 mou5 cin2? (Do you have money?) — in Mandarin this would be 你有沒有錢？

冇 mou5 on its own means 'don't have' or 'there isn't'. It replaces Mandarin 沒有 méiyǒu but is a single syllable: 我冇錢 ngo5 mou5 cin2 (I don't have money). Note that 冇 is written as 有 without the two inner strokes — it's literally 'have' with something missing!

Cantonese also uses 有 + verb to mean 'have done' or as a mild emphasis that something did happen. Example: 我有去 ngo5 jau5 heoi3 (I DID go). This construction exists in Mandarin too (我有去) but is more common and natural in Cantonese.

Examples

你有冇食飯？nei5 jau5 mou5 sik6 faan6?Have you eaten?

Mandarin: 你有沒有吃飯？ nǐ yǒu méiyǒu chīfàn?

有冇 jau5 mou5 = Mandarin 有沒有

我冇時間ngo5 mou5 si4 gaan3I don't have time

Mandarin: 我沒有時間 wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān

冇 mou5 = Mandarin 沒有 (single syllable!)

呢度有冇洗手間？ni1 dou6 jau5 mou5 sai2 sau2 gaan1?Is there a restroom here?

Mandarin: 這裡有沒有洗手間？ zhèlǐ yǒu méiyǒu xǐshǒujiān?

有冇 for existence questions — same pattern as possession

我有去過ngo5 jau5 heoi3 gwo3I have been (there) / I DID go

有 + verb = emphatic 'did do' — more common in Cantonese than Mandarin

冇問題mou5 man6 tai4No problem

Mandarin: 沒問題 méi wèntí

Very common expression — 冇 replaces 沒

Exercises

Fill in the Blank

Convert to Cantonese: 你有沒有車？(Do you have a car?) → 你___車？

Multiple Choice

What does 冇 mou5 mean?

Translate

Translate to Cantonese (with Jyutping): 'I don't have money.' (我沒有錢)

Multiple Choice

Which sentence uses 有 + verb to emphasize 'I DID go'?

← 5. Possession: 嘅 ge3 7. Being: 係 hai6 →