jan4仁
Jyutpingjan4
Yaleyàhn
Definition
Benevolence, kind-heartedness, compassion, and humanity; showing care, tolerance, and patience toward others.
neutralpeopledescriptions
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively used in compound words rather than as a standalone adjective in modern speech. It carries a strong sense of traditional Confucian morality and virtue. You will frequently encounter it in formal contexts or when discussing moral character, but it sounds overly literary or archaic if used to describe simple acts of kindness in casual conversation.
Examples
He is a very kind-hearted person who is always helping others.
The most important thing in life is to be benevolent and righteous, don't deceive people.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for the word for 'person' or 'human', which is 人. While they share the same pronunciation in some dialects, they are completely different characters with distinct meanings in Cantonese.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
