ging1京
Jyutpingging1
Yalegīng
Definition
Capital city.
neutralplaces
How it's used
Functions almost exclusively as a bound morpheme in modern Cantonese, appearing primarily in place names like 北京 or historical terms like 京城. It does not stand alone as a noun to mean capital city in casual conversation, where 首都 is the standard term used instead.
Examples
Their whole family moved to live in Beijing.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this character as a standalone word to describe a capital city, as it will sound archaic or confusing to native speakers.
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.
