deon6 hou6頓號顿号
Jyutpingdeon6 hou6
Yaledeuhn houh
Definition
The Chinese caesura sign (、), used to pause between items in a list or after ordinal numbers.
writtencommunication
How it's used
This punctuation mark is strictly reserved for separating items within a list of similar grammatical status. It is never used to separate clauses or complete sentences, which would instead require a comma. In casual handwriting or text messaging, people often omit it entirely in favor of standard commas or spaces.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
You need to add a caesura sign in this sentence.
Do you know when you should use a caesura sign?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with a standard comma. Remember that a comma is used for pauses between clauses, whereas this mark is only for listing nouns or noun phrases.
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.
