cou3 jam1噪音
Jyutpingcou3 jam1
Yalechou yām
Definition
Noise; irritating or annoying sound.
neutraldescriptionsother
How it's used
While 噪音 refers specifically to irritating or unwanted sounds, Cantonese speakers often prefer the adjective 嘈 to describe the general state of being noisy. Use 噪音 when referring to the technical concept of noise pollution or a specific, persistent source of annoyance like construction work. It sounds more formal than simply saying something is 嘈.
Measure word
zung3種jungExamples
The noise here is really loud.
Can you be a bit quieter? It is very noisy.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often use 噪音 as an adjective to mean noisy, but it is strictly a noun. If you want to say something is noisy, use the adjective 嘈 instead.
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.
