hiu2曉晓
Jyutpinghiu2
Yalehíu
Definition
Light or the dawn.
writtentimenature
How it's used
曉 is primarily used in literary or formal contexts to describe light or the break of day. It is rarely used in everyday spoken Cantonese as a standalone noun for light, where words like 光 or 天光 are preferred. It is most commonly encountered in set phrases like 破曉 or 曉光.
Examples
Before dawn, he already got up to go to work.
We will leave once the morning light appears in the east.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the very common Cantonese verb 曉, which means to know how to do something. In the sense of dawn, it is almost exclusively found in compound words.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
