hak1 mai5黑米
Jyutpinghak1 mai5
Yalehāk máih
Definition
Black rice, or a slang term for opium or cigarettes.
- black rice
- slangopium
- slangcigarette
colloquialfoodslang
How it's used
While referring to the grain, it is a standard culinary term. When used as slang for cigarettes or opium, it functions as a euphemism, often used to avoid direct mention of the substance in public or to sound more discreet. The context usually makes it clear whether the speaker is talking about food or illicit items.
Measure word
wun2碗wúnExamples
I am cooking black rice for dinner tonight.
Do you still have any cigarettes left?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not assume someone is talking about food if they are in a social setting where smoking is common, as the slang usage is quite prevalent among older generations or in specific subcultures.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
