haai4 jam1諧音谐音

Jyutpinghaai4 jam1

Yalehàaih yām

名詞Rare

Definition

Homophone; a word or phrase that sounds similar to another.

colloquialcommunicationother

How it's used

Puns based on homophones are extremely common in local culture, especially during festivals like Lunar New Year where auspicious meanings are derived from similar sounding words. It is frequently used to describe nicknames or brand names that mimic English words or other Cantonese phrases. The term is often used in a lighthearted or humorous context when explaining why something sounds funny or clever.

Measure word

go3個go

Examples

ni1呢go3個ming4名hai6係haai4諧jam1音lai2嚟㗎gaa2咋。

This name is just a play on words.

nei5你zi1知m4唔zi1知ni1呢go3個haai4諧jam1音hai6係dim2點gaai2解？

Do you know what this pun means?

Common phrases

wun6玩haai4諧jam1音

to make a pun

haai4諧jam1音gang2梗

a punny joke

Common mistake

Learners often confuse this with 押韻, which specifically refers to rhyming. While 諧音 relies on the entire word sounding similar to another, 押韻 focuses on the matching of final sounds or tones.