jau4油
Jyutpingjau4
Yaleyàuh
Definition
Oil or fat extracted from animals or plants, typically used for cooking.
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How it's used
Refers specifically to cooking oil or fat, but also functions as a verb meaning to grease or oil something. In casual speech, it is often used in the phrase 抽水, which metaphorically means to take advantage of someone, though this is unrelated to the literal substance. It is essential to distinguish between the noun for cooking oil and the adjective 油膩, which describes food that is overly greasy or oily.
Measure word
zi1支jīExamples
You need to add more oil when frying fish so it doesn't stick to the pan.
Related words
Common mistake
Beginners often confuse the noun 油 with the adjective 油膩. While 油 refers to the substance itself, 油膩 is used to describe the sensation or quality of food that contains too much fat.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
