bong1邦
Jyutpingbong1
Yalebōng
Definition
Nation, state, or country.
writtenother
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively used as a bound morpheme in compound words rather than as a standalone noun in modern spoken Cantonese. It carries a formal or historical tone, often appearing in political or geographical contexts like 聯邦 or 邦交. You will rarely hear it used in casual conversation to refer to a country, as 國家 is the standard term for that purpose.
Examples
This federal country is very large.
They want to establish their own nation.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 邦 as a direct substitute for 國家 in everyday speech, as it will sound archaic or overly academic. It functions primarily as a building block for specific terms rather than a general-purpose noun.
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.
