唔係（否定係）

Not to Be

Level 1Sounds Like m4 hai6

唔係 (m4 hai6) is the Cantonese equivalent of 'is not', 'am not', or 'are not'. It is used to say that something is NOT something else (identity) or to soften a description (degree).

How It Works

1. Negating Nouns and Identities
In Cantonese, you cannot simply put 唔 (m4) before a noun. You must use 唔係 (m4 hai6).
Example: 佢唔係老師 (Keoi5 m4 hai6 lou5 si1) - 'He is not a teacher.'

2. Degree Negation with Adjectives
To say something is 'not [adjective]', you usually just use 唔 (m4) + Adjective. However, if you want to say it is 'not VERY [adjective]', you must use 唔係 + 好 (hou2) + Adjective.

  • 唔貴 (m4 gwai3): Not expensive.
  • 唔係好貴 (m4 hai6 hou2 gwai3): Not very expensive.

3. Correcting Statements
唔係 (m4 hai6) can be used on its own to mean 'No' or 'That's not right' when you are correcting a factual error made by someone else.

4. Question Form
To ask 'Is it or is it not?', speakers use the 係唔係 (hai6 m4 hai6) pattern, which is very often contracted to 係咪 (hai6 mai6) in casual speech.

Examples (5)

  1. 我唔係學生。

    I am not a student.

    Word by Word: I not be student

    This is the standard way to negate a noun (student) using 唔係 (m4 hai6).

  2. 呢度唔係香港。

    This place is not Hong Kong.

    Word by Word: This-place not be Hong Kong

    Used here to negate a proper noun (a location).

  3. 佢唔係好高。

    He is not very tall.

    Word by Word: He not be very tall

    Using 唔係 (m4 hai6) with 好 (hou2) softens the negation to 'not very'.

  4. 唔係呀，我係日本人。

    No, I am Japanese.

    Word by Word: Not be [particle], I be Japan person

    Here, 唔係 (m4 hai6) acts as a corrective 'No' to a previous statement.

  5. 今日唔係幾熱。

    It's not particularly hot today.

    Word by Word: Today not be quite hot

    唔係 (m4 hai6) combined with 幾 (gei2) means 'not quite' or 'not particularly'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 唔係 when you just mean 'doesn't'.

    Different Meaning佢唔係食肉。
    佢唔食肉。

    佢唔係食肉 is good Cantonese, but 唔係 (m4 hai6) before a verb negates with focus: 'it is not that he eats meat'. For the plain 'he doesn't eat meat', use 唔 (m4), as in the right sentence.

  • Negating a noun with only 唔 (m4).

    我唔醫生。
    我唔係醫生。

    You cannot omit the verb 係 (hai6) when negating a noun. You must use the full 唔係 (m4 hai6) structure.

How It Connects

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唔係（否定係）Level 1Not to Be

Learn This First

To understand '唔係', a learner first needs to know the basic verb 'to be' (係). Additionally, since this pattern is frequently used to negate degree adverbs preceding adjectives, familiarity with the default degree marker '好' and the nature of Cantonese adjectives is necessary.

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Words in This Pattern

唔系