hon3漢汉

Jyutpinghon3

Yalehon

語素Common

Definition

Of or relating to the Chinese language, culture, or ethnic group.

neutralpeoplecommunication

How it's used

Functions primarily as a bound morpheme in compound words rather than as a standalone adjective for describing things or people. It carries a formal or historical weight, often appearing in academic or cultural contexts like 漢語 or 漢文化. In everyday speech, people almost exclusively use 中文 for the language or 中國 for the country instead.

Examples

ni1呢di1啲hai6係hon3漢zi6字lai2嚟㗎。

These are Chinese characters.

nei5你sik1識m4唔sik1識se2寫hon3漢zi6字aa3呀？

Do you know how to write Chinese characters?

Common phrases

hon3漢zi6字

Chinese characters

hon3漢jyu5語

Chinese language

Common mistake

Avoid using it as a standalone adjective to describe someone or something as Chinese, as it sounds archaic or overly academic. Use 中國人 for a Chinese person or 中文 for the language to sound natural.