hong4 hang4航行
Jyutpinghong4 hang4
Yalehòhng hàhng
Definition
To navigate, sail, or fly; to travel by water or air.
neutraltransporttravel
How it's used
Focuses on the technical or formal act of traveling by sea or air, rather than the casual act of taking a trip. It is rarely used in everyday casual speech, where people prefer specific verbs like 搭船 or 飛. It often appears in news reports or formal descriptions of routes and journeys.
Examples
The ship sailed for a long time before reaching the shore.
Do you know where the plane is flying to?
Related words
Common phrases
navigation route
during the voyage or flight
Common mistake
Learners often use it as a general verb for travel, but it sounds overly formal and stiff in daily conversation. Use 坐船 or 坐飛機 for normal travel, and reserve 航行 for describing the movement of the vessel itself.
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.
