gaau3酵
Jyutpinggaau3
Yalegaau
Definition
To ferment or yeast-related.
neutralfooddaily actions
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively used as a bound morpheme in scientific or culinary compounds rather than as a standalone verb. You will rarely encounter it outside of terms like 酵母 or 發酵. It functions as the core component for describing chemical processes involving microorganisms.
Examples
You must add yeast when making bread.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often try to use 酵 as a standalone verb for fermenting, but it is not used that way in spoken Cantonese. Always use the full compound 發酵 when describing the process.
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.
