guk1菊
Jyutpingguk1
Yalegūk
Definition
Asteraceae; a family of herbaceous plants, commonly including chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and dandelions.
colloquialnature
How it's used
While 菊 refers to the botanical family Asteraceae, it is almost exclusively used in daily life as a shorthand for 菊花. You will rarely hear people use 菊 on its own to describe the plant unless they are speaking in a formal or botanical context. It is most commonly associated with tea culture or traditional floral arrangements.
Measure word
pun4盆pùnhExamples
Do you like buying chrysanthemums to display at home?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 菊 as a generic term for any flower, as it specifically refers to the chrysanthemum family. Learners often confuse it with other floral terms, but in Cantonese, it is culturally tied to specific uses like herbal tea or funeral offerings, so context matters significantly.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
