Multiplication Table – Pi song 乘數表,Pi 歌

There is another way to practice reading numbers in Cantonese.  It is to memorize the multiplication table.  As I said in the video, it is a secret of why Chinese people calculate so fast.   If you are familiar with  the table, you can treat multiplication as addition.

For example, 87*56, you can treat it as addition of 350+4000+42+480.

Multiplication e.g. Continue reading “Multiplication Table – Pi song 乘數表,Pi 歌”

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Cantonese “Nine” Tones 廣東話九聲調

The most common used Cantonese pronunciation system is jyutping 粵語拼音, for it does not only give you the sound, but also give the tone.  In tonal languages, different tones of a sound can make a great difference of meaning.  For example, 媽 (maa1) and 嫲 (maa4) mean mother and grandmother respectively.  If you can’t speak it in right tone, it will become a joke!  There is a shortcut to master the “Nine Tones”.  You can practice the numbers (3-9-4-0-5-2-7-8-6).  The sequence the above order is exactly from Tone 1 to Tone 9.   Try it and you will get the feeling.

* when we say 媽媽 (mother) in Cantonese, we sometimes pronounce it maa4 maa1. Continue reading “Cantonese “Nine” Tones 廣東話九聲調”

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