baa1 lai4巴黎
Jyutpingbaa1 lai4
Yalebā làih
Definition
Paris, the capital and largest city of France.
neutralplacestravel
How it's used
Pronunciation in Cantonese often involves a slight shift in the second character to sound more like the French original, though standard dictionary readings remain common. It is frequently used in contexts involving fashion, romance, or luxury travel, reflecting its cultural status in Hong Kong.
Examples
I will go to Paris for a trip next month.
Have you ever been to Paris before?
Related words
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
