喺

At / in / on

Level 1Sounds Like hai2

Use 喺 (hai2) to express where someone or something is located, or to specify the location where an action takes place.

How It Works

喺 (hai2, Tone 2) is the primary locative word in spoken Cantonese.

1. Main Locative Verb ('to be at / in / on')
When standing alone as the main predicate, 喺 acts as a full verb meaning 'to be located at':
• Subject + 喺 + Place
Example: 我喺香港 (ngo5 hai2 hoeng1 gong2) — 'I am in Hong Kong.'

2. Locative Preposition / Coverb ('at / in / on')
When specifying where an action occurs, the location phrase introduced by 喺 comes before the action verb:
• Subject + 喺 + Place + Action Verb
Example: 我喺屋企睇電視 (ngo5 hai2 uk1 kei2 tai2 din6 si6) — 'I watch TV at home.'
Note: Do not place the location phrase after standard action verbs, which differs from English word order.

3. Post-Verbal Placement (Posture and Placement Verbs)
For specific verbs expressing result, posture, or placement (such as 住 zyu6 'live', 坐 co5 'sit', 放 fong3 'put', 企 kei5 'stand'), 喺 can appear after the main verb:
• Verb + 喺 + Place (without an explicit object)
Example: 放喺檯面 (fong3 hai2 toi2 min6) — 'Put [it] on the table.'
• Verb + Object + 喺 + Place (with an explicit object)
Example: 放個書包喺檯面 (fong3 go3 syu1 baau1 hai2 toi2 min6) — 'Put the schoolbag on the table.'

4. Expressing Location with People or Pronouns
喺 cannot attach directly to a pronoun or person. You must add the locative postposition 度 (dou6):
• Correct: 喺我度 (hai2 ngo5 dou6) — 'at my place / with me'
• Incorrect: *喺我 (hai2 ngo5)

5. Distinction Between 喺 (hai2) and 係 (hai6)
Be careful with tones and functions:
• 喺 (hai2, Tone 2) = 'to be at/in/on' (locative)
• 係 (hai6, Tone 6) = 'to be' (equative copula for identity)

Examples (4)

  1. 我而家喺屋企。

    I am at home right now.

    Word by Word: I right now be-at home.

    Here, 喺 (hai2) functions as the main locative verb meaning 'to be at'.

  2. 佢哋喺圖書館睇緊書。

    They are reading books at the library.

    Word by Word: They at library read-ing books.

    When indicating where an action occurs, the 喺 (hai2) location phrase precedes the verb.

  3. 請你將個包包放喺檯上面。

    Please put the bag on top of the table.

    Word by Word: Please you [disposal] [classifier] bag put at table top.

    With verbs of placement like 放 (fong3, 'put'), 喺 (hai2) appears after the verb.

  4. 佢而家喺我度。

    He is at my place right now.

    Word by Word: He right-now at me place.

    When using a personal pronoun to indicate location, append 度 (dou6) after the pronoun.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing the location phrase after standard action verbs due to English word order transfer.

    我食飯喺餐廳。
    我喺餐廳食飯。

    In Cantonese, location phrases introduced by 喺 (hai2) must precede standard action verbs.

  • Attaching 喺 directly to a person or pronoun without adding 度 (dou6).

    我喺你。
    我喺你度。

    喺 (hai2) attaches to spatial nouns. When referring to a person's location, add 度 (dou6) after the person or pronoun.

  • Confusing 喺 (hai2, high-rising tone) with the copula 係 (hai6, low tone).

    我喺學生。
    我係學生。

    Use 係 (hai6) for identity ('I am a student') and 喺 (hai2) for location ('I am at school').

How It Connects

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

喺Level 1At / in / on

Learn This First

To understand '喺', you need to distinguish it from the copula '係' through tone and understand where it fits within a basic Cantonese sentence.

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