早知

If Only I'd Known

Level 4Sounds Like zou2 zi1

早知 (zou2 zi1) means "If only I had known" or "Had I known earlier." It is used exclusively for past regrets where the outcome would have been different if you had possessed certain knowledge.

How It Works

The pattern 早知 (zou2 zi1) is a staple of colloquial Cantonese. While it looks like a verb phrase (早 'early' + 知 'know'), it functions as a subordinator to set up a hypothetical past.

1. Structure and Placement
It usually appears at the very beginning of a sentence or immediately after the subject (e.g., 我早知...). The second clause (the hypothetical result) almost always uses the connector 就 (zau6) to link the knowledge to the result.

2. Strict Counterfactuality
You can only use 早知 for things that already happened. You cannot use it for future possibilities. For example, you cannot say "If I know the weather tomorrow..." using this pattern; you must use 如果 (jyu4 gwo2) for that.

3. Grammatical Constraints

  • No Aspect Markers: You cannot say 早知咗 (zou2 zi1 zo2). The 'past' nature is already built into the word.
  • No Direct Negation: You cannot say 唔早知 (m4 zou2 zi1). To say "If I hadn't known," you must use a standard 'if' construction like 如果我唔知...

4. Common Variations
In very casual speech, you might hear 晨早知 (san4 zou2 zi1), which adds emphasis ("If I had known way back when").

Examples (4)

  1. 早知係噉，我就唔嚟啦。

    If I'd known it was like this, I wouldn't have come.

    Word by Word: Early know is so, I then not come [particle].

    This is a classic use of the pattern. The speaker regrets coming because the current situation (係噉) is unsatisfactory.

  2. 早知帶埋遮添！

    If only I'd brought an umbrella too!

    Word by Word: Early know bring including umbrella [added-nuance]!

    Here, 埋 (maai4) means 'as well' and 添 (tim1) adds a sense of 'on top of that' to the regret.

  3. 我早知你喺度，就一早搵你啦。

    Had I known you were here, I would have looked for you much earlier.

    Word by Word: I early know you at here, then one early find you [particle].

    This shows the subject 'I' placed before the pattern. It expresses a missed positive opportunity.

  4. 有早知，冇乞兒。

    If there were foreknowledge, there would be no beggars.

    Word by Word: Have early know, not-have beggars.

    A famous Cantonese proverb meaning that since no one can truly know the future, regret is inevitable but ultimately futile.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 早知 for a plain future possibility.

    Different Meaning早知聽日落雨，我就唔去行山。
    如果聽日落雨，我就唔去行山。

    早知 looks back with regret at something you did not know when you decided, so it is not the word for a plain future 'if'. For a future condition, use 如果 (jyu4 gwo2).

  • Trying to negate the pattern directly.

    唔早知佢會嚟，我就唔買咁多嘢食。
    如果我唔知佢會嚟，我就唔會買咁多嘢食。

    You cannot say '唔早知'. To express 'If I didn't know', you must use the standard 'if' (如果) + 'not' (唔/冇) structure.

  • Leaving out 就 in the second clause.

    Different Meaning早知咁貴，我唔買。
    早知咁貴，我就唔買。

    早知咁貴，我唔買 is natural too. Adding 就 (zau6), as in 早知咁貴，我就唔買, links the two clauses more firmly and sounds a little more emphatic.

How It Connects

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早知Level 4If Only I'd Known

Learn This First

To understand '早知' (if only I'd known), learners first need to be familiar with the verb '知' (to know) and the basic conditional structure '如果...就...'. This pattern is a specific counterfactual use of 'if' that expresses regret about the past.

Words in This Pattern

早知