daan1 zi6單字单字
Jyutpingdaan1 zi6
Yaledāan jih
Definition
An individual Chinese character, or a single word in a foreign language.
- an individual Chinese character representing a single syllable
- a single word or lexical item in a foreign language
colloquialpeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to a person's given name consisting of only one character, which is distinct from the more common two-character names in Chinese culture. It is frequently used when clarifying names over the phone or during formal introductions to distinguish between surnames and given names.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
His name is a single character, very easy to remember.
Is your surname a single character or two characters?
Related words
Common phrases
the given name is a single character
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the term 單詞, which refers to a vocabulary word or lexical item. Using 單字 to mean a vocabulary word is a common error influenced by English usage of the word character.
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.
