ci4匙
Jyutpingci4
Yalechìh
Definition
Spoon; an eating utensil used for liquids or food that is difficult to pick up.
colloquialfood
How it's used
While 匙 can refer to a spoon in formal or compound words like 茶匙, it is rarely used alone in spoken Cantonese. Native speakers almost exclusively use 匙羹 to refer to a spoon. Using 匙 by itself often sounds like you are reading from a dictionary or using a very formal register.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
Do you use a spoon or chopsticks to eat your rice?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often try to use 匙 as a standalone word, but it sounds unnatural. Always append 羹 to make it 匙羹 for everyday conversation.
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.
