jaa6 aa6 jat1廿呀一

Jyutpingjaa6 aa6 jat1

Yaleyah ah yāt

Definition

Twenty-one; the number 21.

colloquialnumberstime

How it's used

The character 廿 is a specific shorthand for twenty that is widely used in speech and informal writing. It is almost always used for numbers between twenty-one and twenty-nine, though it can technically represent twenty on its own. Using 廿 instead of 二十 makes your Cantonese sound much more natural and native.

Common phrases

jaa6廿jat1一hou6號

the twenty-first day of the month

jaa6廿jat1一seoi3歲

twenty-one years old

Common mistake

Do not confuse 廿 with 卅, which represents thirty. Learners often mix these up because they look visually similar, but they carry very different numerical values.