請

Please (Invitation)

Level 1Sounds Like cing2

Use 請 (cing2 / ceng2) when offering hospitality ('please come in'), inviting someone, or treating someone ('my treat!'). For asking personal favors or services, use 唔該 (m4 goi1) instead.

How It Works

1. Hospitality and Invitations
In Cantonese, 請 frames an action as a polite offer or courtesy extended to the listener. When a host says 請入嚟 (cing2 jap6 lai4 / ceng2 jap6 lai4, 'please come in'), they are offering hospitality.

2. Main Verb 'To Treat', 'To Hire', and 'To Request Leave'
請 is frequently used as a main verb in everyday Cantonese (usually pronounced ceng2):
• 'To treat / to invite': 我請你食飯 (ngo5 ceng2 nei5 sik6 faan6, 'I am treating you to dinner.')
• 'To hire / recruit': 請人 (ceng2 jan4, 'to hire staff')
• 'To request time off': 請假 (ceng2 gaa3, 'to take leave')

3. Pronunciation Variants: cing2 vs. ceng2
• cing2 (Tone 2): The formal or literary reading used in public signs and formal expressions.
• ceng2 (Tone 2): The colloquial spoken reading preferred in everyday Cantonese.
Note: For 請問 ('May I ask...?'), both cing2 man6 and ceng2 man6 are widely used and natural in daily conversation.

4. Key Distinctions: 請 vs. 唔該
• Use 請 when offering something that benefits or honors the listener (inviting, hosting, treating). Avoid using 請 for direct personal requests (e.g. saying 請開門 sounds like a written warning sign rather than spoken speech).
• Use 唔該 (m4 goi1) when asking for a favor or service ('please'), as well as for thanking someone when receiving a service or help.

Examples (4)

  1. 請入嚟坐啦。

    Please come in and sit down.

    Word by Word: Please enter come sit [softening particle].

    Used by a host to warmly welcome a guest into their home.

  2. 請問課室喺幾樓呀？

    Excuse me / May I ask, which floor is the classroom on?

    Word by Word: Please ask classroom at which floor [question particle]?

    請問 (cing2 man6) is a standard fixed formula for polite inquiries.

  3. 今晚我請你食飯啦！

    Tonight dinner is my treat!

    Word by Word: Tonight I treat you eat rice [urging particle]!

    Here 請 is pronounced ceng2 and acts as the main verb 'to treat'.

  4. 請排隊。

    Please queue up.

    Word by Word: Please form line.

    A formal public notice using the standard formal pronunciation cing2.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing 請 at the end of a sentence like English 'please'.

    幫我攞個杯，請。
    唔該幫我攞個杯。

    請 does not go at the end of a request the way English ‘please’ can. 唔該 (m4 goi1) can come before the request or after it (畀杯水我，唔該), and it is the usual word for a favour to yourself.

  • Using 請 to ask for everyday favors or restaurant services.

    請畀杯水我。
    唔該畀杯水我。

    In speech, 請 is mainly for offering hospitality or treating someone. For everyday requests where a server or friend does something for you, use 唔該 (m4 goi1).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

請Level 1Please (Invitation)

Learn This First

The pattern '請' is a foundational polite marker used to initiate invitations or requests. To use it effectively, learners should understand basic Cantonese word order and the distinction between different ways to say 'please' depending on the social context.

Words in This Pattern

请请