Cantonese

noun

Can·​ton·​ese ˌkan-tə-ˈnēz 

-ˈnēs

plural Cantonese

1

: a native or inhabitant of Guangzhou, China

2

: the dialect of Chinese spoken in Guangzhou and Hong Kong

3

: a style of Chinese cooking that emphasizes fresh ingredients, subtle tastes, and relatively mild sauces

Cantonese adjective

Examples of Cantonese in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Producers Lyu Yue, Mo Jinjin, and Duan Tingting from Star Lab Production present the film in both Cantonese and Putonghua. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Apr. 2025

One shop near the beach commissioned a sign explaining surf etiquette, complete with an illustration of a surfer shouting a Cantonese expletive after being hit in the head with someone else’s board. —Erin Mendell, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025

Per the recruiting firm’s engagement plan, an online community survey — available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Cantonese — is expected to be launched at the end of the month. —Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 26 Mar. 2025

This family dynamic allowed Jessica to be exposed to lots of different languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese and Taiwanese—her grandmother's native village dialect. —Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Canton Guangzhou, ultimately from Portuguese Cantão, from Chinese (Guangzhou) Gwóngdūng Guangdong

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Cantonese

• abcs
• absentees
• addressees
• adoptees
• allottees
• amputees
• antifreeze
• appellees
• appointees
• arrestees
• artistes
• assamese