baa1芭
Jyutpingbaa1
Yalebā
Definition
Fragrant herb; banana plant; or an abbreviation for ballet.
- literarya fragrant herb; banana plant
- ballet
neutralnatureother
How it's used
Primarily appears as a phonetic loan character in modern Cantonese, most notably in the word for ballet. Outside of specific botanical terms like 芭蕉, it is rarely used as a standalone noun in daily speech. It functions almost exclusively as a component within borrowed loanwords.
Examples
She really likes dancing ballet.
There are many banana trees planted here.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse the pronunciation with 巴, as they are distinct characters despite appearing in similar phonetic contexts. Learners often mistake it for a generic plant classifier, but it is restricted to specific plant names.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
