cai4薺荠
Jyutpingcai4
Yalechàih
Definition
Water chestnut.
colloquialfood
How it's used
The term 薺 is almost never used in spoken Cantonese to refer to the vegetable. Instead, everyone uses the term 馬蹄 to describe this crunchy, sweet aquatic tuber. Using 薺 in a market or restaurant will likely cause confusion as it is not part of the common vocabulary.
Measure word
nap1粒nāpRelated words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse the written character 薺 with the common spoken term 馬蹄. Always use 馬蹄 when speaking to avoid sounding like you are reading from a dictionary.
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.
