好 + 好 + Adjective

Doubling 好

Level 2

When you hear 好好食 (hou2 hou2 sik6), it breaks down as 好 (very) + 好食 (tasty). Doubling 好 in this context is simply the degree adverb 好 modifying a compound adjective prefixed with 好-.

How It Works

1. Degree Adverb + 好-Adjective Compound
Many common Cantonese sensory adjectives are compound words formed by prefixing 好- (hou2-, 'good to / pleasant to') to a monosyllabic verb:

  • 食 (sik6, to eat) → 好食 (hou2 sik6, tasty)
  • 睇 (tai2, to watch) → 好睇 (hou2 tai2, entertaining)
  • 聽 (teng1, to listen) → 好聽 (hou2 teng1, pleasant sounding)
  • 玩 (waan2, to play) → 好玩 (hou2 waan2, fun)

Because compound words like 好食 are complete adjectives on their own, modifying them with the degree adverb 好 (hou2, 'very') results in the sequence 好 + 好食 (hou2 hou2 sik6, 'very delicious'). Both 好 characters retain Tone 2 (hou2 hou2).

2. Common Misconception: Stacking 好 Before Base Adjectives
Learners sometimes assume that 好好 can be used as a stacked modifier ('super / extremely') before regular adjectives. However, expressions like 好好靚 (hou2 hou2 leng3) or 好好貴 (hou2 hou2 gwai3) are ungrammatical in Cantonese. To intensify standard adjectives, native speakers use adverbs like 勁 (ging6, 'super') or specific sentence particles rather than doubling 好.

3. Manner Adverb vs. Degree Modifier Distinction
Do not confuse degree modification (好 + 好食) with the manner adverb 好好 (hou2 hou2, 'properly / well') modifying an action verb phrase. For instance, 好好食飯 (hou2 hou2 sik6 faan6) means 'eat your meal properly', where 好好 modifies the action of eating, not the quality of the food.

Examples (4)

  1. 呢度啲嘢好好食㗎！

    The food here is really delicious!

    Word by Word: here [plural] food very tasty [fact-reminder]

    Here, the degree adverb 好 (hou2, 'very') modifies the compound adjective 好食 (hou2 sik6, 'tasty').

  2. 呢套戲好好睇，一定要睇！

    This movie is really entertaining; you definitely have to watch it!

    Word by Word: this [classifier] movie very good-to-watch, definitely must watch

    好睇 (hou2 tai2) is an adjective meaning 'entertaining'. Adding the degree adverb 好 (hou2) creates 'really entertaining'.

  3. 呢首歌好好聽，你聽吓！

    This song is really pleasant to listen to; take a listen!

    Word by Word: this [classifier] song very good-to-listen, you listen [delimitative]

    好聽 (hou2 teng1) means 'pleasant sounding'. Preceding it with the degree adverb 好 (hou2) forms 'really pleasant to listen to'.

  4. 呢個公園好好玩，小朋友好鍾意。

    This park is really fun; kids love it.

    Word by Word: this [classifier] park very good-to-play, child very like

    好玩 (hou2 waan2) is a compound adjective meaning 'fun'. Adding the degree adverb 好 (hou2) produces 'really fun'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 好好食飯 when you mean the food is tasty.

    Different Meaning佢好好食飯。
    呢碗飯好好食。

    佢好好食飯 is a good sentence, but it means 'he eats his meal properly', because 好好 modifies the verb phrase 食飯. To say food is very tasty, put 好好食 after the noun: 呢碗飯好好食.

  • Using 你好好食 to mean 'eat well'.

    Different Meaning你好好食！
    你好好食飯啦！

    你好好食 is a real sentence, but it means 'You are very tasty!' To tell someone to eat properly, add the object 飯: 你好好食飯啦.

How It Connects

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

好 + 好 + AdjectiveLevel 2Doubling 好

Learn This First

To understand the doubling of '好', learners first need to be comfortable with how basic adjectives work in Cantonese and how '好' is used as the standard 'very' marker. Knowledge of tone changes is also helpful as the pronunciation of the first '好' typically shifts in this specific context.

Words in This Pattern