fu1夫
Jyutpingfu1
Yalefū
Definition
Man; an adult male.
writtenpeoplefamily
How it's used
夫 is rarely used as a standalone noun in modern spoken Cantonese, where it is almost always replaced by 男人 or 老公. It survives primarily as a bound morpheme in formal or compound words like 丈夫 or 功夫. Using it alone in casual conversation will sound archaic or overly literary.
Examples
He really has a lot of manly spirit.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 夫 to refer to a man in general conversation, as it sounds like you are reading from a classical text. Always use 男人 for a man or 老公 for a husband.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
