din6 tai1電梯电梯
Jyutpingdin6 tai1
Yaledihn tāi
Definition
Escalator; a continuous moving stairway designed to transport people between floors.
colloquialtransportplaces
How it's used
People in Hong Kong often use the term for both escalators and elevators, relying on context to distinguish them. When clarity is needed, use 扶手電梯 for escalator and 升降機 for elevator. It is common to refer to the escalator as simply 梯 if the context of being in a shopping mall is already established.
Measure word
bou6部bouhExamples
Where are you taking the escalator to get to the mall?
This escalator is broken, let's take the stairs.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not assume that hearing someone say they are taking the電梯 automatically means they are on an escalator, as it is frequently used as a blanket term for any mechanical lift or moving staircase.
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.
