cyu5杵
Jyutpingcyu5
Yalechyúh
Definition
A pestle, or a baton used for beating clothes when washing.
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How it's used
Refers specifically to the heavy, blunt tool used for pounding or crushing, often in a mortar or for traditional laundry tasks. It is rarely used in modern urban settings for laundry, as the practice of beating clothes by hand has largely vanished. You will mostly encounter this term in historical contexts or when describing traditional kitchen equipment.
Measure word
zi1支jīExamples
Related words
Common phrases
mortar and pestle
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the verb 杵, which in some dialects or slang can mean to poke or nudge someone, as this usage is not standard in Hong Kong Cantonese.
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).
