jan3舋
Jyutpingjan3
Yaleyan
Definition
Dispute, quarrel, or feud.
writtenpeopleother
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively used in the context of interpersonal conflict or creating friction between parties. It carries a slightly formal or literary weight compared to common spoken alternatives, often appearing in written reports or more serious discussions about social tension. In everyday speech, people frequently substitute it with more common terms to avoid sounding overly archaic or pedantic.
Examples
Why are you picking a fight with them for no reason?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with the character 釁, which is the standard form in many contexts, though 舋 is widely recognized as a variant. It is rarely used in casual conversation, so using it in a text message or informal chat might make you sound like you are reading from a classical text.
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.
