aap2鴨鸭
Jyutpingaap2
Yaleáap
Definition
Duck, a common waterfowl often raised as poultry, or its meat and eggs used as food.
colloquialanimalsfood
How it's used
Beyond the literal meaning of the bird, the term is frequently used in slang to refer to a male sex worker. This usage is highly derogatory and stems from the idea of a man being kept by a woman, similar to how a kept woman is called a 雞. When discussing the animal as food, it is often paired with specific cooking methods like 燒鴨 or 滷水鴨.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
Shall we go eat roast duck tonight?
Related words
Common mistake
Be careful not to confuse the animal with the slang term for a male sex worker, especially when talking about someone's profession or lifestyle. If you are simply talking about the bird or the dish, context usually makes it clear, but avoid using the word in ambiguous situations involving people.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Adjective
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
