In Cantonese, 多少錢 (duōshao qián) is 幾多錢 (gei2 do1 cin4), often shortened to 幾錢 (gei2 cin2). The rule: Mandarin 多少 (how much) becomes 幾多 gei2 do1, and the rest of the shopping vocabulary shifts with it: cheap is 平, dollars are 蚊, the bill is 埋單. In casual speech 錢 usually rises to cin2, so you will hear gei2 do1 cin2 as often as cin4. Paste pinyin into the pinyin converter to check tone marks along the way.
| If you'd say (Mandarin) | Say (Cantonese) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 多少錢 duōshao qián (how much?) | 幾多錢 gei2 do1 cin4 | Standard; cin2 in casual speech |
| 多少錢 (short, at a stall) | 幾錢 gei2 cin2 | Quick and very common |
| 多少錢一斤 (how much per catty?) | 幾錢一斤 gei2 cin2 jat1 gan1 | Wet markets still price by the catty |
| 便宜 piányi (cheap) | 平 peng4 | Spoken reading peng4, not ping4 |
| 便宜一點 (a bit cheaper?) | 平啲得唔得? peng4 di1 dak1 m4 dak1 | "Cheaper, OK or not?" |
| 買單 / 結帳 mǎidān / jiézhàng (the bill) | 埋單 maai4 daan1 | Restaurant bill; "唔該，埋單!" |
| 塊 kuài (yuan, dollars) | 蚊 man1 | Spoken unit: 五十蚊 = 50 dollars |
| 貴 guì (expensive) | 貴 gwai3 / 好貴 | Same word, Cantonese sound |
| Situation | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pointing at something in a shop | 呢個幾多錢? | "How much is this?" (see 呢個 vs 嗰個) |
| Buying fruit at a wet market | 幾錢一斤? | Price per catty, the market default |
| Haggling at a street-market stall | 平啲得唔得? | Polite and direct; skip it in fixed-price shops |
| Done eating, waving the waiter over | 唔該，埋單! | The standard Hong Kong way to ask for the bill |
| Paying by card | 可唔可以碌卡? | 碌卡 (luk1 kaat1) is "swipe a card" |
| Paying by Octopus card | 收唔收八達通? | "Do you take Octopus?" The card most locals tap |
Asking 多少錢 with Cantonese sounds (do1 siu2 cin4). It is understood, but in Cantonese 多少 usually means "somewhat, a little" rather than "how much", so it marks you as reading Mandarin aloud. Say 幾多錢. Second slip: saying 埋單 with maai5. That is 買單, "buy the bill"; it may still be understood, but the Hong Kong word is maai4 daan1, with a low falling tone.
More learner answers on the FAQ page; next Mandarin bridges: shénme, nǎlǐ, xièxie, or browse all Mandarin-to-Cantonese guides; classic mix-ups: 唔該 vs 多謝, 唔 vs 冇, ni hao in Cantonese.
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