American Accent Training for Cantonese Speakers

New to this page?  You may want to start here.

The sound system of your native language affects how you hear and pronounce other languages.  When speaking American English, native Cantonese speakers have accent patterns based on first hearing and speaking Cantonese.  Use the chart below to learn more about the Cantonese accent in English.  Click on the individual sounds  for recordings and help with pronunciation. 

Like this?  Even more resources are available with a subscription.

sound

b

t

d


g


v


th (as in “think”)


th (as in “those”)



z


j

n


ng


l

r



consonant clusters (more than one consonant sound together)


vowels

error pattern

can sound like p at the ends of words

can be left off the ends of words

can sound like t or be left off the ends of words

can sound like k or be left off the ends of words

can sound like w at the start of words
can sound like f at the ends of words

can sound like f or t at the start of words
can sound like f at the ends of words

can sound like d at the start of words
can sound like f or voiceless th at the  ends of words

can sound like s at start or ends of words

can sound like ch at the ends of words

can sound like ng or be left off the ends of words

can sound like n or nK be left of the ends of words

can be left off the ends of words

can sound like w at the start of words
  can sound like “uh” in the middle or at the ends of words

can have sounds left off or have the same errors listed above at the ends of words
can have r/l confusion at the start of words

to learn more about the Cantonese accent, including vowels, purchase a subscription

Example

robe sounds like rope

boat sounds like bow

code sounds like coat,
made sounds like may

pig sounds like pick
big sounds like bih

why sounds like vie
leave sounds like leaf

thing sounds like fing or ting
with sounds like whiff

those sounds like dose
breathe sounds like brief or breeth

zip sounds like sip
buzz sounds like bus

ridge sounds like rich

thin sounds like thing
moon sounds like moo

thing sounds like thin or think
sung sounds like suh

goal sounds like go

red sounds like wed
bird sounds like bud
paper sounds like papuh

lived sounds like live, 
want sounds like wan, 
words sounds like word
blow sounds like bro
class sounds like crass