bin6 lei6便利
Jyutpingbin6 lei6
Yalebihn leih
Definition
Convenient and easy to access, usually referring to locations, facilities, or shops.
neutralplacesdescriptions
How it's used
While often interchangeable with 方便, 便利 carries a slightly more formal or technical nuance, frequently appearing in compound nouns like 便利店. In casual daily speech, native speakers overwhelmingly prefer 方便 when describing personal ease or accessibility. Using 便利 in very informal contexts can sometimes sound like you are reading from a brochure or a news report.
Examples
The transport here is very convenient, it's fast to go anywhere.
Do you think it's convenient to live in this area?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often overuse 便利 in everyday conversation where 方便 is the natural choice. Remember that 方便 is the go-to word for general convenience, whereas 便利 is largely restricted to infrastructure, facilities, or specific commercial terms.
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.
