hing1 mui6兄妹
Jyutpinghing1 mui6
Yalehīng muih
Definition
An elder brother and younger sister.
neutralfamilypeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to the sibling relationship between an older brother and a younger sister. Unlike English which uses the gender neutral sibling, Cantonese distinguishes between 兄妹, 姐弟, 兄弟, and 姊妹 based on gender and age order. It is common to add the classifier 對 or 兩 before the term to specify the pair.
Measure word
deoi3對deuiExamples
The brother and sister have an incredibly close relationship.
Do you know that they are brother and sister?
Related words
Common phrases
a pair of brother and sister
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe any two siblings regardless of gender or age, as it strictly denotes an older brother and a younger sister.
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.
