Most everyone is familiar with this day, as it is celebrated nearly everywhere the world. Yet, when exactly is April Fools’ Day? And where did April Fools come from? April Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st every year. This day of jokes and pranks is believed to have stemmed from the 16th-century calendar change in France, when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. This action was taken due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar.

However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change, so they continued to observe New Year’s Day on April 1st, rather than the new date. They were referred to as the “April Fools”, and others started playing mocking tricks on them. This custom endured, and is practiced to this day around the world!

Table of Contents

1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day
2. Cantonese Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day
3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody
4. How Can CantoneseClass101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?

1. Top One Million Words You Need to Know for April Fools’ Day

Do you want to know how to say April Fools’ Day in Cantonese? Well, there are millions of ways and words, but here are the top one million Cantonese words you really need to know! Simply click this link. Here are some of them you will find useful:

1. joke – 開玩笑 – hoi1 wun6 siu3
2. funny – 有趣 – jau5 ceoi3
3. sneaky – 鬼鬼鼠鼠 – gwai2 gwai2 syu2 syu2
4. prankster – 惡作劇者 – ok3 zok3 kek6 ze2
5. prank – 惡作劇 – ok3 zok3 kek6
6. play a joke – 整蠱人 – zing2 gu2 jan4
7. humor – 幽默 – jau1 mak6
8. fool – 傻瓜 – so4 gwaa1
9. deceptive – 呃人 – aak1 jan4
10. April 1st – 四月一日 – sei3 jyut6 jat1 jat6
11. lie – 講大話 – gong2 daai6 waa6
12. surprise – 驚喜 – ging1 hei2

2. Cantonese Phrases You Can Use on April Fools’ Day

Don’t limit yourself to practical jokes – use these April Fools’ phrases in Cantonese to prank your favorite Cantonese speaking friend or colleague!

1. I learned Cantonese in 1 month.
   • 我一個月內學識廣東話。
   • ngo5 jat1 go3 jyut6 noi6 hok6 sik1 gwong2 dung1 waa2.
2. All classes for today got canceled.
   • 今日全部堂都取消。
   • gam1 jat6 cyun4 bou6 tong4 dou1 ceoi2 siu1.
3. I’m sorry, but I’ve just broken your favorite pair of glasses.
   • 對唔住，我啱啱整爛咗你最鐘意嗰副眼鏡。
   • deoi3 m4 zyu6, ngo5 aam1 aam1 zing2 laan6 zo2 nei5 zeoi3 zung1 ji3 go2 fu3 ngaan5 geng2.
4. Someone has just hit your car.
   • 頭先有人撞你架車。
   • tau4 sin1 jau5 jan4 zong6 nei5 gaa3 ce1.
5. I’m getting married.
   • 我結婚喇。
   • ngo5 git3 fan1 laa3.
6. You won a free ticket.
   • 你贏咗張免費機票。
   • nei5 jeng4 zo2 zoeng1 min5 fai3 gei1 piu3.
7. I saw your car being towed.
   • 我見到你架車被人拖走咗。
   • ngo5 gin3 dou2 nei5 gaa3 ce1 bei2 jan4 to1 zau2 zo2.
8. They’re giving away free gift cards in front of the building.
   • 佢哋喺大廈前面送免費禮品卡。
   • keoi5 dei6 hai2 daai6 haa6 cin4 min6 sung3 min5 fai3 lai5 ban2 kaat1.
9. A handsome guy is waiting for you outside.
   • 出面有個靚仔等緊你。
   • ceot1 min6 jau5 go3 leng3 zai2 dang2 gan2 nei5.
10. A beautiful lady asked me to give this phone number to you.
    • 有個靚女叫我俾呢個電話冧巴你。
    • jau5 go3 leng3 neoi5 giu3 ngo5 bei2 ni1 go3 din6 waa2 lam1 baa2 nei5.
11. Can you come downstairs? I have something special for you.
    • 你可唔可以落嚟？我有啲特別嘢送俾你。
    • nei5 ho2 m4 ho2 ji3 lok6 lei4? ngo5 jau5 di1 dak6 bit6 je5 sung3 bei2 nei5.
12. Thank you for your love letter this morning. I never could have guessed your feelings.
    • 多謝你今朝俾我嘅情信。我一直都冇諗過你有咁嘅感覺。
    • do1 ze6 nei5 gam1 ziu1 gei2 ngo5 ge3 cing4 seon3. ngo5 jat1 zik6 dou1 mou5 lam2 gwo3 nei5 jau5 gam2 ge3 gam2 gok3.

Choose your victims carefully, though; the idea is to get them to laugh with you, not to hurt their feelings or humiliate them in front of others. Be extra careful if you choose to play a prank on your boss – you don’t want to antagonize them with an inappropriate joke.

3. Some of the Coolest April Fools’ Pranks To Play on Anybody

Right, now that you know the top million April Fools’ words in Cantonese, let’s look at some super pranks and tricks to play on friends, colleagues and family. Some April Fools ideas never grow old, while new ones are born every year.

Never joke in such a way that it hurts anyone, or humiliates them badly in front of others – the idea is for everybody to laugh and enjoy the fun! Respect is still key, no matter what day of the year it is.

1- Infestation

This trick is so simple, yet so creepy, it’s almost unbelievable. Take black paper, cut out the silhouette of a giant cockroach, a spider or another insect, and stick it inside the lampshade of a table lamp. When the lamp is switched on, it will look like a monstrous insect is sitting inside the lampshade. Or, get a whole lot of realistic-looking plastic insects, and spread them over a colleague’s desk and chair, or, at home, over the kids’ beds etc. Creep-factor: stellar.

2- Which One Doesn’t Fit?

Put the photo of a celebrity or a notorious politician in a frame, and take it to work on April Fools’ Day. Hang the photo on the staff picture wall, and wait. You’ll be surprised how long it can take for people to notice that one picture doesn’t fit.

3- Something Weird in the Restroom

At work, replace the air freshener in the restroom with something noxious like insect killer, oven cleaner or your own odious mixture in a spray bottle. Be sure to cover the bottle’s body so no one suspects a swap.

Or paint a bar of soap with clear nail polish, and leave it at the hand wash basin. It will not lather.

Or, if your workplace’s restroom has partitioned toilets with short doors, arrange jeans or trousers and shoes on all but one of the toilet covers, so it looks like every stall is occupied. Now wait for complaints, and see how long it takes for someone to figure out the April Fools’ Day prank. You’ll probably wish you had a camera inside the restroom. But, unless you don’t mind getting fired, don’t put your own recording device in there!

4- Call Me Funny

Prepare and print out a few posters with the following instructions: Lion Roar Challenge! Call this number – 123-456-7890 – and leave your best lion’s roar as voicemail! Best roarer will be announced April 10 in the cafeteria. Prize: $100. (Lion’s roar is just an example; you can use any animal call, or even a movie character’s unique sound, such as Chewbacca from Star Wars. The weirder, the funnier. Obviously!) Put the posters up in the office where most of the staff is likely to see them. Now wait for the owner of the number to visit you with murderous intent. Have a conciliatory gift ready that’s not a prank.

5- Minty Cookies

This is another simple but hugely effective prank – simply separate iced cookies, scrape off the icing, and replace it with toothpaste. Serve during lunch or tea break at work, or put in your family’s lunch boxes. Be sure to take photos of your victim’s faces when they first bite into your April Fools’ cookies.

6- Wild Shopping

At your local grocer, place a realistic-looking plastic snake or spider among the fresh vegetables. Now wait around the corner for the first yell.

7- The Oldest Trick in the Book

Don’t forget probably the oldest, yet very effective April Fools’ joke in the book – smearing hand cream or Vaseline on a door handle that most staff, family or friends are likely to use. Yuck to the max!

8- Sneeze On Me

Another golden oldie is also gross, yet harmless and utterly satisfying as a prank. Fill a small spray bottle that you can easily conceal with water. Walk past a friend, colleague or one of your kids, and fake a sneeze while simultaneously spraying them with a bit of water. Expect to be called a totally disgusting person. Add a drop of lovely smelling essential oil to the water for extra confusion.

9- Word Play Repairs

Put a fresh leek in the hand wash basin at home or work, and then tell your housemates or colleagues this: “There’s a huge leak in the restroom/bathroom basin, it’s really serious. Please can someone go have a look?!” Expect exasperation and smiles all around. Note that this prank is only likely to work where people understand English well.

10- Scary Face

Print out a very scary face on an A4 sheet of paper, and place it in a colleague’s, or one of your kid’s drawers, so it’s the first thing they see when they open the drawer. You may not be very popular for a while.

11- Wake Up To Madness

Put foamy shaving cream, or real whipped cream on your hand, and wake your kid up by tickling their nose with it. As long as they get the joke, this could be a wonderful and fun way to start April Fools’ Day.

12- Computer Prank

This one’s fabulous, if you have a bit of time to fiddle with a colleague, friend or your kid’s computer. It is most effective on a computer where most of the icons they use are on the desktop background itself (as opposed to on the bottom task bar).

Take and save a screenshot of their desktop with the icons. Set this screenshot as their background image. Now delete all the working icons. When they return to their computer, wait for the curses when no amount of clicking on the icons works.

13- Monster Under the Cup

This one will also work well anywhere people meet. Take a paper cup, and write the following on it in black pen: “Danger! Don’t lift, big spider underneath.” Place it upside-down on prominent flat surface, such as a kitchen counter, a colleague’s desk or a restaurant table. Expect some truly interesting responses.

14- Prank Door

Write in large letters on a large and noticeable piece of paper: PUSH. Tape this notice on a door that should be pulled to open, and watch the hilarious struggle of those clever souls who actually read signs.

4. How Can CantoneseClass101 Make Your April Fools’ Day Special?

If you happen to visit China, or if you work for any Cantonese speaking company, knowing the above Cantonese prankster phrases can really lighten up your day. Showing you have a sense of humor can go a long way to cement good relationships in any situation. These phrases are at your disposal for free, as well as are these 100 core Cantonese words, which you will learn how to pronounce perfectly.

Also, don’t stop at learning April Fools’ phrases in Cantonese – bone up your Cantonese language skills with these FREE key phrases. Yes, CantoneseClass101 doesn’t joke when it comes to effective, fun and easy learning.

Thank you for helping CantoneseClass101! We’re serious about making learning Cantonese fun.