cai1妻
Jyutpingcai1
Yalechāi
Definition
Wife; the formal female spouse of a man.
neutralfamilypeople
How it's used
While 妻 is a formal morpheme used in compound words like 夫妻 or 妻子, it is almost never used as a standalone noun in spoken Cantonese. Native speakers prefer the colloquial term 老婆 when referring to a wife in daily conversation. Using 妻 by itself in speech sounds overly literary or like a line from a period drama.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 妻 as a standalone word in casual conversation, as it sounds stiff and unnatural. Always use 老婆 instead unless you are writing formal documents or speaking in a very specific, elevated context.
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.
