cing1 jam1清音
Jyutpingcing1 jam1
Yalechīng yām
Definition
Voiceless sound; a speech sound produced without vibration of the vocal cords.
neutralother
How it's used
This term is primarily used in linguistic contexts to describe phonemes produced without vocal cord vibration. It is a technical term rather than a word used in casual daily conversation, though it is standard in linguistics classes taught in Cantonese.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
This sound is a voiceless sound, the vocal cords will not vibrate.
Related words
Common phrases
voiceless consonant
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with the concept of aspirated sounds, but voicelessness refers specifically to the state of the glottis rather than the presence of a puff of air.
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.
