ban1 zau1賓州宾州
Jyutpingban1 zau1
Yalebān jāu
Definition
Pennsylvania; a state in the United States.
colloquialplaces
How it's used
While this is the standard abbreviation for the American state, it is almost never used in casual speech because the pronunciation sounds identical to a vulgar term for male genitalia. In almost all social contexts, people will say the full name 賓夕凡尼亞州 to avoid any potential misunderstanding or awkwardness. If you must refer to the state, using the full name is the safest and most polite choice.
Examples
He is going to study in Pennsylvania next month.
Do you know where Pennsylvania is?
Related words
Common mistake
The pronunciation is indistinguishable from a common Cantonese profanity, so using this abbreviation in conversation will almost certainly cause confusion or laughter.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
