The rule: arriving in the morning → 早晨 (zou2 san4); leaving for bed → 早唞 (zou2 tau2). Both start with 早 (zou2, early): 晨 (san4) is the morning half, 唞 (tau2) is rest — "rest early". Mix them and you wish your grandmother good morning at midnight.
| 早晨 | 早唞 | |
|---|---|---|
| Jyutping | zou2 san4 (rising + low falling) | zou2 tau2 (rising + rising) |
| Job | Good morning — greeting on arrival | Good night — farewell before sleep |
| Literally | "early morning" | "rest early" (also written 早抖) |
| When | Before midday, meeting people | Bedtime, family and close friends |
| Situation | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Walking into the office at 9am | 早晨 | The default morning hello — plus a smile |
| Longer, warmer morning hello | 早晨啊，食咗飯未 | 啊 softens it; breakfast-check is small talk |
| Hanging up on mum at 11pm | 早唞 | Bedtime farewell to intimates |
| TV host signing off | 晚安 | 晚安 is broadcast-formal, not home talk |
| Meeting anyone after midday | 你好 | No everyday good-afternoon exists — 你好 covers it |
| Friends at any hour | Hello / 哈囉 | English works; nobody minds |
Saying 早晨 after dark — it lands like "morning!" at a midnight snack run. After midday, default to 你好; at bedtime, 早唞. And don't deploy 早唞 at the office door in the morning unless you want the whole room laughing.
More learner answers on the FAQ page; the full greeting guide: ni hao in Cantonese; the politeness pair: 唔該 vs 多謝; head-to-head dictionary picks on best Cantonese dictionary.
My words · Word of the day · Pinyin converter · Korean romanizer · FAQ · About · Contact · Privacy