goek3 zi2腳趾脚趾
Jyutpinggoek3 zi2
Yalegeuk jí
Definition
Toe; a digit on the foot of a person or animal.
Example
colloquialbody
How it's used
Cantonese speakers distinguish between fingers and toes using the characters 手指 and 腳趾 respectively. While English uses the same word for both in some contexts, Cantonese strictly separates them to avoid ambiguity. When referring to the big toe, people often specifically say 大腳趾.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners sometimes mistakenly use 隻 for fingers, but 隻 is specifically for feet, animals, or objects, whereas fingers use 條 or 隻 depending on the region and context. Always use 隻 for 腳趾.
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.
