caai4儕侪
Jyutpingcaai4
Yalechàaih
Definition
A class or category of people; companions.
colloquialpeople
How it's used
Used primarily to describe a group of people who share similar characteristics, social status, or company. It carries a slightly informal or colloquial tone compared to standard words for group like 班 or 堆. It often implies a sense of belonging or being part of a specific circle.
Examples
That group of people really likes to go hiking.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 儕 in literary contexts where it might mean 'peer' or 'equal'. In modern spoken Cantonese, it is almost exclusively used as a classifier or noun for a group, rather than referring to a single companion.
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.
