daai6 do1 sou3大多數大多数
Jyutpingdaai6 do1 sou3
Yaledaaih dō sou
Definition
Most; the vast majority of things or people.
neutraldescriptions
How it's used
While this term is standard and widely understood, it leans towards a more formal or written register compared to colloquial alternatives. In everyday spoken Cantonese, people frequently prefer using 大部分 or 好多 to convey the same meaning. Using 大多數 in casual conversation can sometimes make you sound like you are giving a presentation or reading from a news report.
Examples
Most people are on holiday today.
What do you think the majority opinion is?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 大多數 as an adverb to mean 'mostly' or 'usually', but it functions primarily as a noun or a quantifier for nouns. For the meaning of 'usually', it is much more natural to use 通常.
Grammar color guide
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Adjective
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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).
