<p>Similar to 劳驾, you could say 不好意思. It doesn't mean "Thank you" though. It can be used as "Excuse me" or "Sorry" or "Hey".</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-09-17T03:52:34.853Z
this is definitely the closest. (it's closer than "请" which is a translation of "please")
Arthur Yip
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-14T23:21:07.710Z
2011-12-14T23:21:07.710Z
StarCub
<p>above comments already address that "Excuse me" / "Hey" are a result of shortened phrases.<br>
So with respect to "Thanks" (casual), this is what i was taught as a kid...</p>

<p>多谢 and 唔该 are spoken in cantonese but both written in chinese as 谢谢<br>
多谢 is used when receiving a gift "thanks"<br>
唔该 is used when someone does you a favour - i understand it to be another case of shortened phrase possibly from 你唔应该... or “you shouldn't have..."</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-10-08T15:23:59.267Z
2017-10-08T15:23:59.267Z
steo
<p>M Goi is written as 唔該 which in simplified is 唔该 or Wú gāi in pinyin.</p>

<p>The only thing I can think of that may be similar, although it definitely doesn't mean thanks is 劳驾 Láojià which you could use for "excuse me" or "hey" but not for thanks.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-14T04:13:57.647Z
2015-08-11T11:42:48.327Z
2015-08-11T11:42:48.327Z
going
<p>The Cantonese phrase "M Goi" has many meanings:</p>

<ul>
<li>"Excuse me"</li>
<li>"Thanks" (casual)</li>
<li>"Hey"</li>
</ul>

<p>Does it have a 普通话 equivalent? And how can I write it in pinyin? Is it even possible?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-06-27T03:01:39.670Z
It should be noted that it doesn't actually mean 'excuse me', but people have shortened the phrase 'mh goi tze tze' (please move out of my way) to simply 'mh goi'. Likewise, 'hey' is actually 'mh goi _____' where the blank is the person you're trying to get the attention of, e.g. 'mh goi gor gor' for 'please, young man'.
Sam
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T11:58:32.233Z
I would think 有勞xxx
Daniel Cheung
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-11T16:06:30.563Z
M̀h gōi, M4 goi1. I personally find using tone numbers much easier to read, but perhaps I'm just used to it.
MickG
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-28T16:48:51.057Z
I just wanted to note that it's always prounounced m̀h gōi and never ǹgh gōi.  Negation words in Chinese all evolved from words that had initial labial consonants, namely m- or p-/b- sounds (as an aside, some of the former evolved into w- in Mandarin and most of the latter evolved into f- in both Cantonese and Mandarin, one notable exception being 不).

Because m̀h didn't originally have a written representation, 唔 was chosen to represent it.  The original pronunciation of the *character* is ǹgh, but it doesn't mean that the *word* m̀h should be prounounced ǹgh.
Claw
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2012-10-29T10:06:51.680Z
@Claw I think this is an interesting thing in Cantonese. I don't think I've ever heard anyone pronounce "nei ho" with an "n" sound. I've only recently noticed the subtle rolling "n" on words like “牙籤”
Matthew Rudy 马泰
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-14T19:41:54.387Z
Just as a side note, it's generally pronounced "mh goi" rather than "ng goi".
Zann Anderson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-15T06:55:59.590Z
To me it sounds like "m goi", but I know lots of the "m" sounds get romanised as "ng". Officially should it be "mh goi" or "ng goi"? There isn't much romanisation here in HK.
Matthew Rudy 马泰
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-12-16T18:13:50.417Z
I guess it depends on what romanization you're using.  The romanization you see around Hong Kong - for example district names like "Tsim Sa Tsui" and "Tai Koo Shing" is hardly romanization at all and gives no clue (or a bad idea) about how to pronounce a name if you're an English speaker.  "Mh goi" is the Yale Romanization version of the phrase (sans accent marks for the tone on "mh", which I need to figure out how to type).
Zann Anderson
<cantonese><informal>
Is there an equivalent for the Cantonese phrase "M Goi"
# Is there an equivalent for the Cantonese phrase "M Goi"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-12-14)

The Cantonese phrase "M Goi" has many meanings:

* "Excuse me"
* "Thanks" (casual)
* "Hey"

Does it have a 普通话 equivalent? And how can I write it in pinyin? Is it even possible?

**Tags:** cantonese, informal
> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: Just as a side note, it's generally pronounced "mh goi" rather than "ng goi".  
> **username_0**: To me it sounds like "m goi", but I know lots of the "m" sounds get romanised as "ng". Officially should it be "mh goi" or "ng goi"? There isn't much romanisation here in HK.  
> **username_5**: I guess it depends on what romanization you're using.  The romanization you see around Hong Kong - for example district names like "Tsim Sa Tsui" and "Tai Koo Shing" is hardly romanization at all and gives no clue (or a bad idea) about how to pronounce a name if you're an English speaker.  "Mh goi" is the Yale Romanization version of the phrase (sans accent marks for the tone on "mh", which I need to figure out how to type).  
> **username_4**: I just wanted to note that it's always prounounced m̀h gōi and never ǹgh gōi.  Negation words in Chinese all evolved from words that had initial labial consonants, namely m- or p-/b- sounds (as an aside, some of the former evolved into w- in Mandarin and most of the latter evolved into f- in both Cantonese and Mandarin, one notable exception being 不).  Because m̀h didn't originally have a written representation, 唔 was chosen to represent it.  The original pronunciation of the *character* is ǹgh, but it doesn't mean that the *word* m̀h should be prounounced ǹgh.  
> **username_0**: @Claw I think this is an interesting thing in Cantonese. I don't think I've ever heard anyone pronounce "nei ho" with an "n" sound. I've only recently noticed the subtle rolling "n" on words like “牙籤”  
> **username_1**: It should be noted that it doesn't actually mean 'excuse me', but people have shortened the phrase 'mh goi tze tze' (please move out of my way) to simply 'mh goi'. Likewise, 'hey' is actually 'mh goi _____' where the blank is the person you're trying to get the attention of, e.g. 'mh goi gor gor' for 'please, young man'.  
> **username_2**: I would think 有勞xxx  
> **username_3**: M̀h gōi, M4 goi1. I personally find using tone numbers much easier to read, but perhaps I'm just used to it.  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_9 on 2011-12-14. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

M Goi is written as 唔該 which in simplified is 唔该 or Wú gāi in pinyin.

The only thing I can think of that may be similar, although it definitely doesn't mean thanks is 劳驾 Láojià which you could use for "excuse me" or "hey" but not for thanks.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2011-12-14. Score: 3

Similar to 劳驾, you could say 不好意思. It doesn't mean "Thank you" though. It can be used as "Excuse me" or "Sorry" or "Hey".

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: this is definitely the closest. (it's closer than "请" which is a translation of "please")  

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### Answer by username_8 on 2017-10-08. Score: 0

above comments already address that "Excuse me" / "Hey" are a result of shortened phrases.  
So with respect to "Thanks" (casual), this is what i was taught as a kid...

多谢 and 唔该 are spoken in cantonese but both written in chinese as 谢谢  
多谢 is used when receiving a gift "thanks"  
唔该 is used when someone does you a favour - i understand it to be another case of shortened phrase possibly from 你唔应该... or “you shouldn't have..."


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