What is Jyutping?

If you're learning Cantonese, you'll meet Jyutping immediately. Here's what it is and how to read it.

Jyutping is the standard romanization for Cantonese. It spells Cantonese sounds in the Latin alphabet and marks each syllable's tone with a number from 1 to 6 — for example hou2 = 好 (“good”). It's the Cantonese counterpart to Mandarin's Pinyin.

How to read it

A Jyutping syllable has three parts: an initial (opening consonant), a final (vowel and any ending), and a tone number. Take nei⁵ (你, “you”): n + ei + tone 5. Or hou² (好, “good”): h + ou + tone 2. Put them together, nei⁵ hou², and you have “hello.”

The tone numbers

The numbers 1 to 6 are the heart of the system. They tell you the pitch, and in Cantonese the pitch is the word. We cover all six in Cantonese tones explained.

Why the numbers matter

One syllable, six tones, six different words:

si1詩

si2史

si3試

si4時

si5市

si6是

Drop the tone and you're not just sloppy, you may say a different word entirely. That's why Hou²Hou² keeps Jyutping and tones front and centre, and colours each tone number so the pattern sinks in.

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Is Jyutping the same as Pinyin?

No. Pinyin romanizes Mandarin; Jyutping romanizes Cantonese. They look similar but represent different sounds and tone systems.

What do the numbers in Jyutping mean?

Each number 1 to 6 marks the tone of that syllable. The tone changes the word, so the number is essential, not optional.

Do I still need to learn Chinese characters?

To read in Hong Kong, yes eventually. But Jyutping lets you speak and understand from day one while you build up characters gradually.

Is Jyutping the standard?

It's the most widely used modern system, developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong. You may also see the older Yale romanization.