係咪

Is It / Isn't It

Level 1Sounds Like hai6 mi1

係咪 (hai6 mai6) is the standard spoken Cantonese expression for asking yes/no questions, meaning 'is it...?', 'are you...?', or 'right?'. It is formed by fusing 係 (hai6) and 唔 (m4) into 咪 (mai6).

How It Works

1. Pronunciation and Origin
係咪 (hai6 mai6) originates from the sound merger of 係 (hai6, 'to be') + 唔 (m4, 'not') + 係 (hai6, 'to be'). In spoken Cantonese, the sequence 唔係 contracts into 咪 (mai6, Tone 6) within compound expressions like 係咪, though 唔係 on its own cannot contract to 咪 as a standalone negative verb. Note that this is distinct from the prohibitive particle 咪 (mai5, Tone 5, meaning 'don't').

2. Three Key Functions
• Identity & Status: Placed before nouns to ask directly if someone/something is X.
• Pre-verbal Focal Operator: Placed before verbs or adjectives to mean 'Is it the case that...?' or 'Are you [doing X]?'. This is often used when seeking clarification about an expected fact.
• Sentence-Final Confirmation Tag: Placed at the end of a statement (often expanded as 係咪呀 hai6 mai6 aa3) equivalent to English tag questions like '..., right?' or '..., isn't it?'.

3. Register and Tone
係咪 is ubiquitous in casual everyday spoken Cantonese. In more deliberate or formal spoken settings, speakers may use the uncontracted form 係唔係 (hai6 m4 hai6). In Standard Written Chinese, it corresponds to 是不是 (shì bu shì).

Examples (4)

  1. 佢係咪本地人嚟㗎？

    Is s/he a local?

    Word by Word: s/he is-not-is local-person coming SFP?

    Here, 係咪 is placed before the noun phrase 本地人 (bun2 dei6 jan4, 'local') to ask a direct identity question.

  2. 你係咪真係完全明白呀？

    Do you really completely understand?

    Word by Word: you is-not-is really completely understand SFP?

    Placed before the verb phrase 真係完全明白 (zan1 hai6 jyun4 cyun4 ming4 baak6) to clarify an expected understanding.

  3. 呢間餐廳啲嘢好好食，係咪呀？

    The food at this restaurant is really delicious, isn't it?

    Word by Word: this CL restaurant plural thing very delicious, is-not-is SFP?

    Placed at the end of the sentence as a confirmation tag to ask '..., right?' or '..., isn't it?'.

  4. 你聽日係咪都要返工？

    Are you also working tomorrow?

    Word by Word: you tomorrow is-not-is also need return-work?

    Placed before the predicate 都要返工 (dou1 jiu3 faan1 gung1) to check someone's schedule.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 咪 as a standalone word for 'is not'.

    我咪學生
    我唔係學生

    咪 (mai6) is a fused form found in set phrases such as 係咪 and 咪係. It is not used alone as ‘is not’ before a noun. To say ‘is not / am not’, use 唔係 (m4 hai6).

  • Reversing word order to 咪係 when asking a question.

    你咪係學生？
    你係咪學生？

    Word order matters! 係咪 (hai6 mai6) is a question ('Are you...?'), whereas 咪係 (mai6 hai6) is an emphatic statement ('Exactly!' or 'You ARE...').

  • Using 係咪 to offer choices instead of 定係.

    你想食飯係咪食麵？
    你想食飯定係食麵？

    係咪 is used for yes/no questions ('Is it true that...?'). When asking alternative questions with options ('A or B?'), use 定係 (ding6 hai6).

How It Connects

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

係咪Level 1Is It / Isn't It

Learn This First

To understand '係咪', you first need to know the verb 'to be' (係) and how Cantonese forms questions by juxtaposing the affirmative and negative forms of a verb (X-not-X). '係咪' is a contracted form of '係唔係'.

Words in This Pattern

系咪