jau1鵂鸺
Jyutpingjau1
Yaleyāu
Definition
An owl.
colloquialanimals
How it's used
While 鵂 is technically a term for owl, it is rarely used in daily conversation. Most Hong Kongers prefer the term 貓頭鷹 to describe the bird, as it is the standard name taught in schools and used in media. Using 鵂 might sound slightly literary or specific to certain regional dialects.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 梟, which is a different character often associated with birds of prey or negative metaphors. Most native speakers will not recognize 鵂 in isolation and will assume you mean 貓頭鷹.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
