cau3嗅
Jyutpingcau3
Yalechau
Definition
To smell.
colloquialbodydaily actions
How it's used
While 嗅 is technically the character for smell, it is rarely used in everyday spoken Cantonese. Most locals prefer using 聞 instead to describe the action of smelling something. Using 嗅 can sound slightly more formal or literary, similar to how one might use a more precise verb in written Chinese.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often use 嗅 because it appears in dictionaries, but it can sound unnatural or overly formal in casual conversation. Stick to 聞 for daily life to sound more like a native speaker.
Grammar color guide
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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).
