
Romanization Conversion
Because Cantonese is a colloquial language, there is a lot of inconsistency on how to write it in Latin letters. For this site, we have developed our own Romanization, along with IPA-style tone symbols.
Kisa: Romanization used on this website (www.cantonese.ca)
IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet (Handbook of the International Phonetic Association)
Lau: Sidney Lau Cantonese Series
Yale: English-Cantonese in Yale Romanization
Jyutping: yüt
pIng
standardized by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong
CPB: Lonely Planet Cantonese Phrasebook
Tones
Kisa/IPA |
Lau |
Yale |
Jyutping |
CPB |
 |
1, o |
à,  |
1 | à |
 |
2, * |
á | 2 | á |
 |
3 |
a | 3 |  |
 |
4 |
àh | 4 | a |
 |
5 |
áh | 5 |  |
 |
6 |
ah | 6 |  |
Initials
Kisa | IPA |
Lau |
Yale | Jyutping |
CPB |
b |
p |
b | b | b | b |
p |
ph |
p | p | p | p |
m |
m | m | m | m |
m |
f |
f |
f | f | f | f |
d |
t |
d | d | d | d |
t |
th |
t | t | t | t |
l |
l |
l | l | l | l |
g |
k |
g | g | g | g |
k |
kh |
k | k | k | k |
h |
h |
h | h | h | h |
dz |
ts |
j | j | z | j |
ts |
tsh |
ch | ch | c | ch |
s |
s |
s | s | s | s |
y |
j |
y | y | j | y |
w |
w |
w | w | w | w |
gw |
kw |
gw | gw | gw | gw |
kw |
kwh |
kw | kw | kw | kw |
Finals
Kisa | IPA |
Lau |
Yale | Jyutping |
CPB |
a | a | a |
a |
aa |
a |
ai | a i | aai |
aai |
aai |
aai |
au | a u | aau |
aau |
aau |
aau |
am | am | aam |
aam |
aam |
aam |
an | an | aan |
aap |
aan |
aan |
ang | a | aang |
aang |
aang |
aang |
ap | ap | aap |
aap |
aap |
aap |
at | at | aat |
aat |
aat |
aat |
ak | ak | aak |
aak |
aak |
aak |
Kisa | IPA |
Lau |
Yale | Jyutping |
CPB |
i |
i | ai |
ai |
ai |
ai |
u | u | au |
au |
au |
au |
m |  | am |
am |
am |
am |
n | n | an |
an |
an |
an |
ng |  | ang |
ang |
ang |
ang |
p | p | ap |
ap |
ap |
ap |
t | t | at |
at |
at |
at |
k | k | ak |
ak |
ak |
ak |
Kisa | IPA |
Lau |
Yale | Jyutping |
CPB |
o |
  | oh |
o |
o |
oh |
oi |  i | oi |
oi |
oi |
oi |
ou | ou | o |
ou |
ou |
o |
on | n | on |
on |
on |
on |
ong |  | ong |
ong |
ong |
ong |
ot | t | ot |
ot |
ot |
ot |
ok | k | ok |
ok |
ok |
ok |
Kisa | IPA |
Lau |
Yale | Jyutping |
CPB |
e |
 | e |
e |
e |
e |
ei | ei | ei |
ei |
ei |
ei |
eu |  u | |
|
eu |
|
eng |  | eng |
eng |
eng |
eng |
ek | k | ek |
ek |
ek |
ek |
Kisa | IPA |
Lau |
Yale | Jyutping |
CPB |
i |
i | i |
i |
i |
i |
iu | i u | iu |
iu |
iu |
iu |
im | im | im |
im |
im |
im |
in | in | in |
in |
in |
in |
Ing |  | ing |
ing |
ing |
ing |
ip | ip | ip |
ip |
ip |
ip |
it | it | it |
it |
it |
it |
Ik | k | ik |
ik |
ik |
ik |
Kisa | IPA |
Lau |
Yale | Jyutping |
CPB |
œ | oe | euh |
eu |
oe |
euh |
öü | y | ui |
eui |
eoi |
ui |
ön | n | un |
eun |
eon |
un |
œng | oe | eung |
eung |
oeng |
eung |
öt | t | ut |
eut |
eot |
ut |
œk | oek | euk |
euk |
oek |
euk |
Kisa | IPA |
Lau |
Yale | Jyutping |
CPB |
u |
u | oo |
u |
u |
oo |
ui | u i | ooi |
ui |
ui |
ooi |
un | un | oon |
un |
un |
oon |
Ung |  | ung |
ung |
ung |
ung |
ut | ut | oot |
ut |
ut |
oot |
Uk | k | uk |
uk |
uk |
uk |
Kisa | IPA |
Lau |
Yale | Jyutping |
CPB |
ü |
y | ue |
yu |
yu |
ue |
ün | yn | uen |
yun |
yun |
uen |
üt | yt | uet |
yut |
yut |
uet |
Kisa | IPA |
Lau |
Yale | Jyutping |
CPB |
m |
m | m |
m |
m |
m |
ng |
 | ng |
ng |
ng |
ng |
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