can1 oi3親愛亲爱
Jyutpingcan1 oi3
Yalechān oi
Definition
Dear; a polite address used before a recipient's name, especially at the start of a letter.
writtencommunicationpeople
How it's used
Borrowed from written Chinese, this term is almost exclusively used in formal writing or when addressing someone in a letter. It sounds highly unnatural and overly dramatic if used in spoken conversation to address someone directly. In daily life, people prefer using names or titles like 媽咪 or 爸爸 instead of this formal structure.
Examples
Dear friend, how are you?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this in casual speech, as it sounds like a direct translation from English or a script from a romantic drama. It is strictly for written correspondence or formal dedications.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
