The Meyer-Wempe romanization system was developed by two Catholic missionaries in Hong Kong, Bernhard F. Meyer and Theodore F. Wempe, during the 1920s and 1930s for romanizing Standard Cantonese.
p
[p] |
p'
[pʰ] |
m
[m] |
f
[f] |
t
[t] |
t'
[tʰ] |
n
[n] |
l
[l] |
k
[k] |
k'
[kʰ] |
ng
[ŋ] |
h
[h] |
ts
[ts] |
ts'
[tsʰ] |
s
[s] |
|
ch
[tɕ] |
ch'
[tɕʰ] |
sh
[ɕ] |
|
kw
[kw] |
k'w
[kʰw] |
i, y
[j] |
oo, w
[w] |
- The distinction between the alveolar sibilants ([ts], [tsʰ], and [s]) and alveolo-palatal sibilants ([tɕ], [tɕʰ], and [ɕ]) has been lost in modern Cantonese, though the distinction still existed at the time this system was devised. See Standard Cantonese for more information.
a
[aː] |
aai
[aːi] |
aau
[aːu] |
aam
[aːm] |
aan
[aːn] |
aang
[aːŋ] |
aap
[aːp] |
aat
[aːt] |
aak
[aːk] |
| |
ai
[ɐi] |
au
[ɐu] |
am, om
[ɐm] |
an
[ɐn] |
ang
[ɐŋ] |
ap, op
[ɐp] |
at
[ɐt] |
ak
[ɐk] |
e
[ɛː] |
ei
[ei] |
|
|
|
eng
[ɛːŋ] |
|
|
ek
[ɛːk] |
i
[iː] |
|
iu
[iːu] |
im
[iːm] |
in
[iːn] |
ing
[ɪŋ] |
ip
[iːp] |
it
[iːt] |
ik
[ɪk] |
oh
[ɔː] |
oi
[ɔːi] |
o
[ou] |
|
on
[ɔːn] |
ong
[ɔːŋ] |
|
ot
[ɔːt] |
ok
[ɔːk] |
oo
[uː] |
ooi
[uːi] |
|
|
oon
[uːn] |
ung
[ʊŋ] |
|
oot
[uːt] |
uk
[ʊk] |
oeh
[œː] |
|
ui
[ɵy] |
|
un
[ɵn] |
eung
[œːŋ] |
|
ut
[ɵt] |
euk
[œːk] |
ue
[yː] |
|
|
|
uen
[yːn] |
|
|
uet
[yːt] |
|
| |
|
|
m
[m̩] |
|
ng
[ŋ̩] |
|
|
|
- The finals m and ng can only be used as standalone nasal syllables.
Tones
Unlike most Cantonese romanization systems, Meyer-Wempe indicates the entering tones, for a total of ten tones.
| Tone description |
Example |
| upper even |
a |
| upper rising |
á |
| upper going |
à |
| middle entering |
àt |
| upper even |
a |
| upper entering |
at |
| low even |
ā |
| lower rising |
ǎ |
| lower going |
â |
| lower entering |
ât |
|
