heoi1圩
Jyutpingheoi1
Yalehēui
Definition
Country fair, market, or lowland surrounded by dykes.
- country fair; market
- lowland surrounded by dykes or embankments
colloquialplacesfood
How it's used
Commonly written as 墟 in modern Hong Kong, this character refers to a periodic rural market or a village fair. It is frequently used in the context of village life or older districts where trade happens on specific days. While it can technically refer to a wasteland or a mound, those meanings are rare in everyday speech.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
They went to the market to buy groceries.
This market is very lively today.
Related words
Common phrases
to visit a market
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with the character 圩 used in mainland China for embankments or polders, which is not the standard usage for a market in Hong Kong Cantonese.
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.
