ho4 lau4河流
Jyutpingho4 lau4
Yalehòh làuh
Definition
River.
neutralnature
How it's used
While 河流 is the standard term for river, Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use 河 when referring to a specific river in daily conversation. Using 河流 often sounds slightly formal or academic, as if reading from a textbook or a news report. Always pair it with the classifier 條 to sound natural.
Measure word
tiu4條tìuhExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often use 河流 in casual speech where just 河 is more appropriate. For example, saying 嗰條河流好污糟 sounds like a geography lesson, whereas 嗰條河好污糟 is how a local would describe a dirty river.
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).
