唔

Not (General Negation)

Level 1Sounds Like m4

唔 (m4) is the standard Cantonese word for 'not'. It goes directly before verbs and adjectives to negate general actions, habits, future plans, or states (e.g., 唔去 m4 heoi3 'not going', 唔貴 m4 gwai3 'not expensive').

How It Works

1. How to Position 唔
Place 唔 (m4) immediately before the predicate:
• Verb: 唔 + Verb (e.g., 唔睇 m4 tai2 - 'not watching')
• Adjective: 唔 + Adjective (e.g., 唔平 m4 ping4 - 'not cheap')
• Modal Verb: 唔 + Modal (e.g., 唔想 m4 soeng2 - 'don't want', 唔會 m4 wui5 - 'won't')

2. Negating Actions in the Past
While 冇 (mou5) negates past completed events, 唔 CAN be used in past contexts if negating a past habit, state, or intention (e.g., 佢以前唔飲酒 keoi5 ji5 cin4 m4 jam2 zau2 - 'He didn't drink alcohol in the past', 我琴日唔想去 ngo5 kam4 jat6 m4 soeng2 heoi3 - 'I didn't want to go yesterday').

3. Core Structural Uses
• A-not-A Questions: Insert 唔 between verbs (V唔V) or adjectives (Adj唔Adj) to ask yes-no questions, like 去唔去 (heoi3 m4 heoi3 - 'going or not?') or 好唔好 (hou2 m4 hou2 - 'good or not?').
• Potential Infix Negation: Insert 唔 between a verb and a result or directional complement to mean 'cannot achieve', such as 食唔到 (sik6 m4 dou2 - 'cannot manage to eat').

4. Constraints & Incompatibilities
• Aspect Markers: 唔 cannot directly combine with post-verbal aspect markers like 咗 (zo2, completed) or 緊 (gan2, progressive). Saying *我唔食咗 is ungrammatical.
• No Single-Word 'No': In Cantonese, you cannot reply to a question with just 唔 by itself. You must repeat 唔 together with the verb or copula (e.g., 唔去 m4 heoi3, 唔係 m4 hai6).

5. Pronunciation
唔 is a syllabic nasal pronounced Tone 4 (m4, low-falling). Unlike Mandarin tone changes on negative particles, Cantonese 唔 normally stays Tone 4 (m4) in natural speech regardless of surrounding tones, apart from fused forms such as 咪.

Examples (4)

  1. 我唔去。

    I am not going.

    Word by Word: I not go

    Demonstrates 唔 (m4) negating a future intention or refusal to go.

  2. 佢唔食肉。

    He doesn't eat meat.

    Word by Word: He not eat meat

    Shows 唔 (m4) used for a habitual non-action or dietary preference.

  3. 呢件衫唔貴。

    This shirt is not expensive.

    Word by Word: This item shirt not expensive

    Shows 唔 (m4) placed before an adjective (貴 gwai3) to negate a quality.

  4. 我琴日唔想出街。

    I didn't want to go out yesterday.

    Word by Word: I yesterday not want go out street

    Illustrates that 唔 (m4) can refer to past time when negating past willingness or modal desire (唔想 m4 soeng2).

Common Mistakes

  • Using 唔 instead of 冇 to negate a completed action

    我唔食咗早餐。
    我冇食早餐。

    唔 (m4) cannot combine with post-verbal aspect markers like 咗 (zo2). To express 'did not do' something in the past, use 冇 (mou5).

  • Trying to say 'don't have' by combining 唔 with 有 (jau5)

    我唔有錢。
    我冇錢。

    In Cantonese, 唔 (m4) + 有 (jau5) fuses into the single negative verb 冇 (mou5, 'don't have'). Never say *唔有.

  • Using plain 唔 when you mean a command ('don't go!').

    Different Meaning唔去嗰度！
    唔好去嗰度！

    唔去嗰度！ is a good sentence, but it says 'I won't go there' (a refusal), not an order. For a negative command ('don't go there!'), use 唔好 (m4 hou2) or 咪 (mai5).

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唔Level 1Not (General Negation)

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