giu1 gun3澆灌浇灌
Jyutpinggiu1 gun3
Yalegīu gun
Definition
To water plants; to irrigate.
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How it's used
While 澆灌 is understood in Cantonese, it is a formal term primarily used in written contexts or when discussing agriculture and professional gardening. In everyday spoken Cantonese, people almost exclusively use 淋水 to describe the act of watering plants. Using 澆灌 in casual conversation can sound overly literary or like a translation from a textbook.
Examples
Remember to help me water those few pots of flowers.
The weather is so dry lately, we must water them more often.
Related words
Common phrases
to water flowers and plants
Common mistake
Learners often use 澆灌 in daily life because they see it in dictionaries, but it sounds unnatural to native speakers compared to the simple and direct 淋水.
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.
