fu3洑
Jyutpingfu3
Yalefu
Definition
To swim.
colloquialdaily actionssports
How it's used
While 洑 is the formal root for swimming, it is almost exclusively used in the compound 洑水 in spoken Cantonese. Using 洑 alone as a verb sounds archaic or literary, similar to using 'to bathe' instead of 'to swim' in English. Most speakers treat 洑水 as a single inseparable unit when talking about the activity.
Examples
He really likes swimming in the water.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 洑水 with 浮水. 浮水 specifically refers to floating on the surface of the water, whereas 洑水 refers to the active motion of swimming.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
