baa2把
Jyutpingbaa2
Yalebá
Definition
To hold or control.
neutraldaily actions
How it's used
In Cantonese, the character 把 is rarely used as a standalone verb in daily speech, where 揸 is the standard term for holding or grasping something. It primarily appears in formal or literary compounds, such as 把持 or 把關. Learners should avoid using it as a direct substitute for the Mandarin grammatical particle 把, as that structure does not exist in Cantonese.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not attempt to use this as a grammatical marker to shift objects before verbs, as this is a specific feature of Mandarin and will sound completely unnatural to native Cantonese speakers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
