好（程度）

Very (The Default Filler)

Level 1Sounds Like hou2

In Cantonese, 好 (hou2) is placed directly before adjectives to make simple descriptive statements like 'He is tall' (佢好高 keoi5 hou2 gou1). Without 好, the sentence sounds incomplete or comparative. When spoken with vocal emphasis, 好 means 'very' or 'really'.

How It Works

In Cantonese, adjectives act as stative verbs that predicate directly without needing 係 (hai6, 'to be').

However, leaving a simple gradable adjective completely unmodified (e.g., 佢高 keoi5 gou1) sounds incomplete or triggers a comparative reading ('He is the tall one' or 'He is taller').

To make a simple, neutral statement like 'He is tall', Cantonese uses 好 (hou2) directly before the adjective:

  • Unstressed 好 (hou2) with adjectives: Functions as a default structural filler meaning 'is/are [adjective]'. E.g., 佢好高 (keoi5 hou2 gou1) = 'He is tall.'
  • Stressed 好 (hou2) with adjectives: Functions as a true degree adverb meaning 'very' or 'really'. E.g., 佢好高 = 'He is very tall.'

Important Distinction (Adjectives vs. Psychological Verbs):
While 好 can act as an unstressed filler for plain adjectives, placing 好 before psychological verbs (e.g., 想 soeng2 'want to', 鍾意 zung1 ji3 'like') is never a filler. Bare psychological verbs are already complete on their own (e.g., 我想去 ngo5 soeng2 heoi3 = 'I want to go'). Adding 好 always adds explicit degree emphasis ('really / very much'):

  • 好想 (hou2 soeng2): Really want to
  • 好鍾意 (hou2 zung1 ji3): Really like / love

What 好 attaches to:
1. Gradable adjectives: 好貴 (hou2 gwai3 - expensive), 好忙 (hou2 mong4 - busy).
2. Psychological verbs: 好想 (hou2 soeng2 - really want to), 好鍾意 (hou2 zung1 ji3 - really like).
3. Quantity expressions: 好多 (hou2 do1 - a lot / many), 好少 (hou2 siu2 - very few / little).

Negation:
To negate an adjective neutrally ('not tall'), replace 好 with 唔 (m4) (e.g., 佢唔高 keoi5 m4 gou1 = 'He is not tall'). Using 唔係好 (m4 hai6 hou2) means 'not particularly' or 'not very'.

Examples (4)

  1. 佢好高。

    He is tall.

    Word by Word: He + [default filler] + tall

    Unstressed 好 (hou2) links the subject 佢 (keoi5) and the adjective 高 (gou1) neutrally without using the copula 係 (hai6).

  2. 今日天氣好涼。

    The weather today is cool.

    Word by Word: Today + weather + [default filler] + cool

    好 (hou2) precedes the adjective 涼 (loeng4, cool) to form a complete, natural description.

  3. 我好鍾意食點心。

    I really like eating dim sum.

    Word by Word: I + really + like + eat + dim sum

    好 (hou2) attaches to the psychological verb 鍾意 (zung1 ji3, to like) to show strong degree.

  4. 呢件衫好貴。

    This shirt is expensive.

    Word by Word: This + [classifier] + shirt + [default filler] + expensive

    Without 好 (hou2), 呢件衫貴 (nei1 gin6 saam1 gwai3) would sound contrastive, like 'This shirt is the expensive one'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 係 (hai6) instead of 好 (hou2) to link a subject with an adjective.

    佢係高。
    佢好高。

    Cantonese adjectives do not use the copula 係 (hai6) for simple descriptions. 係 is used to link nouns. Use 好 (hou2) as the default filler instead.

  • Omitting 好 (hou2) in basic descriptive statements.

    佢高。
    佢好高。

    A bare adjective creates a comparative or contrastive context ('He is the tall one' / 'He is taller'). Include 好 (hou2) for a simple neutral description.

  • Adding the filler 好 (hou2) in a 過 comparison.

    佢好高過我。
    佢高過我。

    In a comparison the adjective stands bare: 高過. The filler 好 belongs to plain descriptions, so 好高過 sounds wrong. To stress the gap, add 好多 after: 佢高過我好多.

How It Connects

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好（程度）Level 1Very (The Default Filler)

Learn This First

To understand '好' as a degree marker, a learner must first grasp that Cantonese adjectives behave like verbs (stative verbs) and typically require a degree adverb like '好' to be grammatically complete in a simple declarative sentence.

Learn Next

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