co1雛雏
Jyutpingco1
Yalechō
Definition
Young bird, infant, or something in an early stage of development.
- young bird; chick
- infant; baby; child
- childish; immature; green
neutralanimalspeople
How it's used
Primarily used in formal contexts or specific compound nouns like 雛雞 to refer to young animals. When applied to people, it carries a metaphorical sense of being inexperienced, naive, or green, similar to calling someone a rookie or a fledgling. It is rarely used in casual daily speech to describe human infants, where words like 嬰兒 or 細路 are preferred.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 雛妓, which refers to an underage prostitute. Using this character in the wrong context can lead to serious misunderstandings.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
