Canglish

Existing Phrase Categories

• directions.md, food-and-drinks.md, greetings.md, descriptions.md

Format for Words

Words use a markdown table with four columns (Jyutping, Cantonese, English, Notes):

| Jyutping | Cantonese | English | Notes |
| -------- | --------- | ------- | ----- |
| ngo5     | ore       | I / me  |       |
| nei5     | lay       | you     |       |

Group related words under section headers:

# Fruits

| Jyutping  | Cantonese    | English | Notes |
| --------- | ------------ | ------- | ----- |
| hoeng1 ziu1| her-ung chiew| banana  |       |
| ping4 gwa1 | ping gaw     | apple   |       |

Format for Phrases

Phrases also use markdown tables:

# Greetings

| Jyutping | Cantonese  | English      | Notes |
| -------- | ---------- | ------------ | ----- |
| hai1     | hi         | Hi           |       |
| ngo5 hou2| ore ho aaa | I am good    |       |
| nei5 hou2| nay ho ma  | How are you? |       |

Phonetic Guidelines

Follow these rules when creating Canglish representations:

1. Base on existing patterns - Review existing words in the words/ folder to match the phonetic style
2. Use common sounds - Cantonese has tones, but Canglish typically ignores tone marks
3. Keep it simple - Use recognizable English letter combinations
4. Be consistent - If "ch" sounds like "ch" in "church", use the same representation elsewhere
5. Consider the accent - Canglish should reflect how words sound in natural HK Cantonese speech, not literal Jyutping conversion

Accent and Natural Speech

Important: Canglish represents how Cantonese actually sounds when spoken, not literal Jyutping conversion. HK Cantonese has distinct pronunciation patterns:

Initial Consonant Shifts

Common Accent Patterns

1. "ng" at word start - Often softened or dropped in casual HK speech

   • ngo5 (我) → "ore" not "ngo"
   • ngau4 (牛) → "ow" or "ngau" (both acceptable)

2. n/l interchange - HK speakers often pronounce "n" as "l"

   • nei5 (你) → "lay" not "nei"
   • lou5 syu2 (老鼠) → "low shu"

3. Soft endings - Final consonants are often subtle

   • Keep them simple: "mow" (not "maauu"), "gow" (not "gauu")

4. Hyphens for compound words in words/ - Use hyphens in words/ folder

   • pang-yau (朋友), ngau-yuk-min (牛肉麵)

5. Spaces for phrases - Use space-separated in phrases/ folder

   • ore ho aaa, lay ho ma

Converting Jyutping to Canglish

When converting from Jyutping (standard Cantonese romanization) to Canglish (English phonetic spelling), follow these guidelines:

Basic Consonant Mappings

Sibilants and Affricates (Important!)

Special Consonant Rules

Vowel Mappings (Critical!)

Nasal Endings

Plosive Endings (Stop Consonants)

Tone Handling

Canglish does not represent tones explicitly. Ignore tone numbers when converting.

Common Conversion Examples

1. ngo5 (我) → "ore" - The "ng" at the start is often subtle in casual speech
2. nei5 (你) → "lay" - "n" and "l" are interchangeable in colloquial Cantonese
3. gau2 (狗) → "gow" - The "au" sounds like "ow" in "cow"
4. maau1 (猫) → "mow" - The "au" sounds like "ow" in "cow"
5. ji6 (二) → "yee" - The "j" is like "y", and "i" sounds like "ee"
6. zi1 (字) → "ji" - The "z" sounds like "j", and "i" sounds like "ee"
7. ca1 (叉) → "cha" - The "c" sounds like "ch"

Tips for Consistency

1. Check existing words first - Look for similar Jyutping sounds in words/ files
2. Use intuitive English - Spell it how an English speaker would read it aloud
3. Prefer common spellings - "ay" over "ei", "ee" over "i" for long e sounds
4. Test the sound - If unsure, consider how it would sound when read by an English speaker

Workflow

1. Review existing content - Read files in words/ and phrases/ to avoid duplication
2. Check for missing words - Ensure all words used in phrases exist in the words/ folder
3. Generate new content - Add new words first, then phrases that use those words
4. Run build command - After adding content, run npm run build:content to regenerate JSON

Important Notes

• Only use words that exist in the words/ folder when creating phrases
• If a necessary word is missing, generate it first before creating phrases
• Focus on commonly spoken words and phrases for everyday conversations
• Avoid rare or overly formal expressions