Cantonese Dictionary Vol. 21: 10 Body, Health & Everyday Ailment Words

June 30, 2026

Hong Kong at night with illuminated streets and neon signs

Everyone gets sick. Everyone gets tired. But if you're a diaspora kid trying to explain your headache to your Cantonese grandma over WhatsApp — or you're finally visiting Hong Kong and need to buy medicine at Watsons — this is the vocabulary you need. Today we cover 10 body, health and everyday ailment words that will make you sound like you actually grew up in Guangdong.

Neon signs on a street in Mong Kok, Hong Kong at night — The lit-up streets of Mong Kok where pharmacies glow late into the night — Photo via Pexels

Volume 21: The Body & Everyday Ailments

1. 攰

gui6 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: Tired, exhausted, drained.

Explanation: The single most useful word in a Hongkonger's vocabulary. Not just "sleepy" — this is a full-body, bone-deep tiredness that only Cantonese seems to properly capture. You can be gui6 from work, from mahjong, from just being alive.

In real life: 好攰呀，返屋企瞓覺先。 (hou2 gui6 aa3, faan1 uk1 kei2 fan3 gaau3 sin1) — "So exhausted. Going home to sleep first."

2. 眼瞓

ngaan5 fan3 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: Sleepy — literally "eyes want to sleep."

Explanation: One of those beautifully specific Cantonese constructions. It describes the feeling that your eyes themselves are begging you for bed. Distinct from gui6 — you can be ngaan5 fan3 without being physically tired.

In real life: 你眼瞓就返屋企啦。 (nei5 ngaan5 fan3 zau6 faan1 uk1 kei2 laa1) — "If you're sleepy just go home."

3. 頭痛

tau4 tung3 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: Headache. Also used figuratively for anything giving you grief.

Explanation: Straightforward — 頭 (head) + 痛 (pain). But Cantonese speakers also use it the way English speakers say "a headache of a problem." Your boss can be a 頭痛.

In real life: 我頭痛，有無止痛藥？ (ngo5 tau4 tung3, jau5 mou5 zi2 tung3 joek6) — "I have a headache. Got any painkillers?"

4. 肚痛

tou5 tung3 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: Stomachache or belly pain.

Explanation: 肚 (belly) + 痛 (pain). Covers everything from mild indigestion after too much dim sum to serious cramps. If you need a bathroom fast, this is the word.

In real life: 食咗雪糕之後我肚痛。 (sik6 zo2 syut3 gou1 zi1 hau6 ngo5 tou5 tung3) — "After eating ice cream I got a stomachache."

5. 感冒

gam2 mou6 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: A common cold or flu.

Explanation: This is the catch-all term Cantonese speakers use for viral respiratory illness — runny nose, sore throat, general malaise. If your Cantonese mum thinks you have gam2 mou6, expect a bowl of lo fo tong to appear.

In real life: 佢感冒咗，唔嚟返工。 (keoi5 gam2 mou6 zo2, m4 lai4 faan1 gung1) — "He has a cold, so he's not coming to work."

Neon signs on a wet Hong Kong street at night — A rainy Hong Kong street where late-night pharmacies still glow — Photo via Pexels

6. 發燒

faat3 siu1 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: To have a fever.

Explanation: 發 (to develop) + 燒 (burn). The moment your Cantonese mum touches your forehead and says this, the negotiations for school skipping are over — you're staying home.

In real life: 阿仔發燒，快啲睇醫生。 (aa3 zai2 faat3 siu1, faai3 di1 tai2 ji1 sang1) — "My son has a fever, quickly go see the doctor."

7. 咳

kat1 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: To cough, or a cough.

Explanation: Short, sharp, and matches the sound. Cantonese speakers will often say 咳嗽 (kat1 sau3) in more formal contexts, but 咳 on its own is what you'll hear at home.

In real life: 我成日咳，可能係天氣凍。 (ngo5 seng4 jat6 kat1, ho2 nang4 hai6 tin1 hei3 dung3) — "I keep coughing. It's probably because the weather is cold."

8. 打乞嗤

daa2 hat1 ci1 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: To sneeze.

Explanation: A wonderfully onomatopoeic word — 乞嗤 mimics the actual sound of sneezing. There's an old Cantonese superstition that if you sneeze, someone is talking about you behind your back.

In real life: 我頭先打咗個乞嗤，一定有人講我。 (ngo5 tau4 sin1 daa2 zo2 go3 hat1 ci1, jat1 ding6 jau5 jan4 gong2 ngo5) — "I just sneezed, someone must be talking about me."

9. 睇醫生

tai2 ji1 sang1 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: To see a doctor.

Explanation: Literally "watch the doctor." A total staple. Any Cantonese parent will say this to you at the first sign of anything — cough, sniffle, mysterious rash. Non-negotiable.

In real life: 你今日應該去睇醫生。 (nei5 gam1 jat6 jing1 goi1 heoi3 tai2 ji1 sang1) — "You should go see the doctor today."

10. 食藥

sik6 joek6 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: To take medicine — literally "eat medicine."

Explanation: Cantonese uses 食 (eat) for both food and medicine. If your grandma tells you 食藥, don't argue — just take it. Bonus: it's often followed by warm water and a stern reminder to rest.

In real life: 記得飯後食藥呀。 (gei3 dak1 faan6 hau6 sik6 joek6 aa3) — "Remember to take your medicine after eating."

Why This Vocabulary Actually Matters

If you're diaspora Cantonese, chances are your parents or grandparents have said every one of these words to you at some point. Learning them isn't just about being understood at the pharmacy in Sham Shui Po — it's about being able to check in on your family in the language they use to check in on you.

And for anyone visiting Hong Kong: these words unlock real conversations. A Watsons cashier who realises you know 感冒 and 頭痛 will start giving you real recommendations, not just pointing at boxes. For related reading, our Lo Fo Tong guide covers the soup every Cantonese family cooks when someone falls sick.