cau4 lou4囚牢
Jyutpingcau4 lou4
Yalechàuh lòuh
Definition
A prison cell or jail.
neutralplaces
How it's used
Refers specifically to the physical enclosure or cell where a prisoner is held, rather than the institution of prison itself. While it carries a formal or literary weight, it is occasionally used in dramatic or descriptive speech to emphasize the feeling of being trapped or confined. For the general institution of prison, locals almost exclusively use 監獄.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this word to describe the general concept of being in jail, as it sounds overly dramatic or archaic in everyday conversation. Use 監獄 for the institution and 坐監 for the act of being imprisoned.
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).
