pin1扁
Jyutpingpin1
Yalepīn
Definition
Small, specifically when used to describe boats or canoes.
writtentransportnature
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively used in the literary compound 扁舟 to describe a tiny, fragile boat. It does not function as a general adjective for small things in modern spoken Cantonese, where 細 or 細小 are preferred. Using it outside of this specific poetic context will sound unnatural or archaic to native speakers.
Examples
He is rowing a small boat drifting on the sea.
Do you see that small boat in the distance?
Related words
Common phrases
a small boat
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly try to use this to describe flat objects, confusing it with the Mandarin usage of 扁. In Cantonese, the word for flat is 扁, but it is pronounced differently and used in specific contexts like 扁面, so avoid using it to mean small in everyday speech.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
