jan4 seng1人聲人声
Jyutpingjan4 seng1
Yaleyàhn sēng
Definition
Human voice
neutralbodycommunication
How it's used
Refers specifically to the sound produced by human vocal cords, often used in technical contexts like audio mixing or sound engineering. It distinguishes the vocal track from the instrumental background music in a recording. When discussing general noise or the sound of people talking, 講嘢聲 is more natural in daily conversation.
Examples
It is so noisy here, I cannot hear any human voices at all.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to mean 'the sound of people talking' in a casual sense, as it sounds clinical or like you are referring to a sound recording. Use 講嘢聲 or 傾偈聲 for general chatter.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
