fong1 mok6荒漠
Jyutpingfong1 mok6
Yalefōng mohk
Definition
Desert; a type of extremely arid terrain.
neutralnature
How it's used
Literary and formal in tone, this word is rarely used in casual daily speech to describe actual geography. It is more commonly employed in metaphorical contexts to describe a barren, empty, or culturally deprived environment. When referring to a literal sandy desert, locals almost exclusively use 沙漠.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
That place is a desert, there is almost no water to drink.
Have you ever seen a real desert?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this word to describe a place that is just dry or empty in a casual sense, as it carries a heavy, desolate connotation. Stick to 沙漠 for physical geography to avoid sounding overly poetic or dramatic.
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.
