Help and emergencies in Cantonese
The words you hope to never need. Play the ten Cantonese words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Cantonese phrases in this lesson
- 救命！GAU-meng
- Help!
- 叫醫生GIU yi-SANG
- Call a doctor
- 警察GING-chaat
- Police
- 藥房YEUK-FONG
- Pharmacy
- 醫院yi-YUN
- Hospital
- 我唔知去邊NGO m-JEE HOEY BIN
- I'm lost
- 我唔舒服NGO m-SHU-fook
- I don't feel well
- 俾人偷咗BEI-yan TAU-jo
- It was stolen
- 好緊急HO GAN-gap
- It's an emergency
- 唔好煩我m-HO FAAN NGO
- Leave me alone
Literally "save life". The urgent shout. For a calmer request for assistance, 唔該幫我 (m-GOY BONG ngo, please help me) is less alarming and more appropriate for everyday problems.
The emergency number in Hong Kong is 999. Operators handle English. Hospital emergency is 急症室 (GAP-jeng-SAT). Public hospitals are efficient and English is widely spoken by medical staff.
Hong Kong police are accessible and English-speaking in most tourist areas. The non-emergency police hotline is 2527 7177. For genuine emergencies, call 999.
Marked with a red cross or the word 藥房 on the sign. Watsons (屈臣氏) and Mannings are major chains with English-speaking staff across the city.
急症室 (GAP-jeng-SAT) is the emergency room. Public hospitals in Hong Kong are subsidized and the standard of care is high.
Literally "I don't know where to go". Follow it with a map on your phone. Locals in Hong Kong are generally helpful to lost tourists and many speak English.
The phrase for feeling unwell in any context. At a pharmacy, say 我唔舒服 and point at what hurts. 痛 (TUNG, pain/ache) is the key word if you need to describe symptoms.
Literally "was stolen by someone". Combine with the previous pattern: 我嘅電話俾人偷咗, my phone was stolen. Enough for any police report to begin. Hong Kong is very safe but petty theft exists in crowded areas.
Literally "very urgent". The emergency number is 999.
Literally "don't bother me". Firm and clear.