How do you say xie xie in Cantonese?

Cantonese splits Mandarin xièxie in two. Use 唔該 (m4 goi1) to thank someone for a service or small favour, and 多謝 (do1 ze6) to thank someone for a gift or a real favour.

Do Cantonese speakers say 謝謝?

謝謝 is read ze6 ze6 in Cantonese and it is understood, but it belongs to signs, notices and formal speech. In everyday conversation Hong Kong people say 唔該 or 多謝 instead.

How do you say thank you very much in Cantonese?

Add 晒 (saai3): 唔該晒 (m4 goi1 saai3) for a service and 多謝晒 (do1 ze6 saai3) for a gift or favour. 真係 (zan1 hai6, really) in front adds more weight.

← Cantonese Dictionary

How to say xie xie in Cantonese?

In Cantonese, 謝謝 is usually 唔該 (m4 goi1) for a service and 多謝 (do1 ze6) for a gift or favour. The rule: Mandarin uses one word for thanks; Cantonese uses two, and picks between them by asking whether the other person did their job or went beyond it. The full breakdown lives on 唔該 vs 多謝; this page maps it from the Mandarin side. Paste pinyin into the pinyin converter to check tone marks along the way.

If you'd say (Mandarin)	Say (Cantonese)	Notes
謝謝 xièxie (for a service)	唔該 m4 goi1	Waiters, drivers, shop staff, someone holding a door
謝謝 xièxie (for a gift)	多謝 do1 ze6	Presents, red packets, real favours
謝謝你 xièxie nǐ	唔該你 / 多謝你 (… nei5)	Same split, with "you" added
非常感謝 / 太謝謝了 (thanks so much)	唔該晒 / 多謝晒	晒 (saai3) turns the thanks up
不客氣 bú kèqi (you're welcome)	唔使客氣 / 唔使多謝	Literally "no need to be polite" / "no need for thanks"
請 qǐng (please)	唔該	唔該 also means please; 多謝 never does

Scenarios

Situation	Say	Why
Waiter brings your tea	唔該	A service, so 唔該
Asking for the bill	唔該埋單	Here 唔該 is the please
Getting off a minibus	唔該，有落	"Please, getting off": the stop request
Friend hands you a birthday present	多謝	A gift is never anyone's duty
Receiving a red packet at New Year	多謝 / 多謝晒	Money given as a gift takes 多謝
Someone asks after your health	有心 (jau5 sam1)	"Kind of you to think of me": thanks for concern

Variations

謝謝 (ze6 ze6) is real Cantonese, but you meet it on signs and in formal speech (謝謝合作, "thank you for your cooperation"), not across a café counter.
唔該 literally means something like "shouldn't have": you shouldn't have had to bother for me.
Hong Kong people also just say "thank you" or "thanks" in English. Nobody minds.
唔使唔該 (m4 sai2 m4 goi1), "no need for 唔該", is the casual reply to someone who 唔該s you.

The mistake to avoid

Carrying 謝謝 straight over from Mandarin. Said as ze6 ze6 it is understood, but in a shop or restaurant it sounds stiff, like reading from a notice. Say 唔該 to the person serving you and save 多謝 for gifts. If you mix them up, 多謝 for a small service only sounds a little grand, while 唔該 for a present can sound like you take the gift for granted.

All Mandarin-to-Cantonese guides on the Mandarin to Cantonese page; next phrases: dui bu qi, mei guan xi, zai jian; greeting basics: ni hao in Cantonese; more learner answers on the FAQ page.

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