人哋

Other People

Level 3Sounds Like jan4 dei6

人哋 (jan4 dei6) is the standard colloquial way to say 'other people.' It is also famously used by speakers (often women or children) to refer to themselves in a cute or vulnerable way ('little old me').

How It Works

1. The Literal Meaning: 'Others'
In its most basic form, 人哋 (jan4 dei6) refers to anyone who is not the speaker or the listener. It is the colloquial equivalent of the Mandarin 别人 (biérén).

2. The 'Coy' First Person
This is a unique feature of Cantonese (and some southern dialects). A speaker might use 人哋 to refer to themselves. This is known as 撒嬌 (saat3 giu1) or 'acting spoiled.' It makes the speaker sound more vulnerable, cute, or endearing. For example, instead of saying 'I don't know how to do it,' saying '人哋唔識做呀' implies 'I (poor little me) don't know how, so please help me.'

3. Referring to a Specific Third Person
Sometimes, 人哋 is used to point out a specific person without naming them. This is often used by parents when comparing their child to another ('Look at how well they are doing') or to express mild annoyance at someone's behavior without being direct.

4. Register and Writing
This is a strictly colloquial term. In formal writing or Standard Written Chinese, you should use 其他人 (kei4 taa1 jan4) or 別人 (bit6 jan4). In casual texting, you might see people write '人地', but the correct character is 哋 (dei6).

Examples (5)

  1. 唔好麻煩人哋啦。

    Don't bother other people.

    Word by Word: not good bother other people [particle]

    Here, 人哋 (jan4 dei6) is used in its most literal sense to mean 'others' or 'someone else.'

  2. 人哋唔識做吖嘛！

    I (little old me) don't know how to do it!

    Word by Word: other people not know do [particle] [particle]

    This is the 'coy' usage. The speaker refers to themselves as '人哋' to sound cute or to seek sympathy/help.

  3. 你睇吓人哋幾整齊。

    Look at how neat they are.

    Word by Word: you look [aspect] other people how neat

    In this context, '人哋' refers to a specific person (like a classmate or neighbor) being used as a comparison.

  4. 人哋都話唔好囉。

    They already said no (so stop asking).

    Word by Word: other people already say not good [particle]

    Used here to refer to a specific person's previous statement, often with a hint of 'I told you so' or distance.

  5. 人哋送畀我㗎。

    Someone gave it to me.

    Word by Word: other people give to me [particle]

    A general way to say 'someone' or 'others' without specifying who the giver was.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the 'coy I' in professional or masculine contexts.

    Different Meaning老闆，人哋今日想請假。
    老闆，我今日想請假。

    Using '人哋' to mean 'I' to your boss sounds childish or overly feminine. Stick to '我' (ngo5) in professional settings.

  • Using '人哋' in formal written essays.

    我們應該尊重人哋。
    我們應該尊重他人。

    人哋 is a spoken Cantonese term. In formal writing, use 他人 (taa1 jan4) or 別人 (bit6 jan4).

How It Connects

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

人哋Level 3Other People

Learn This First

To understand '人哋', a learner needs to be familiar with the basic pronoun system and the pluralizing suffix '哋'. This allows them to see how '人' (person) is combined with the plural marker to mean 'others', and subsequently how it is used idiomatically to refer to oneself in a coy or indirect manner.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

人哋