hok6鶴鹤
Jyutpinghok6
Yalehohk
Definition
An alternative pronunciation of the character 鶴 (crane), used in certain collocations and compound words.
writtenanimalsother
How it's used
This character is primarily used in formal or literary compounds rather than as a standalone noun in daily speech. When it appears in specific historical or medical terms, it retains a distinct pronunciation that differs from its common reading in other contexts. It is rarely used outside of these fixed, often dramatic or archaic, set phrases.
Examples
This kind of medicine is called arsenic trioxide, it is very poisonous.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often try to use this character to describe the bird in casual conversation, but it is much more common to use the colloquial term 白鶴 or simply refer to the bird by its descriptive features. Using it in everyday speech can sound overly formal or like a line from a period drama.
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).
