je6 hang4夜行
Jyutpingje6 hang4
Yaleyeh hàhng
Definition
To be active at night; nocturnal.
colloquialdaily actionsanimals
How it's used
While often used in scientific contexts like biology to describe nocturnal creatures, in casual speech it frequently refers to the habit of staying out or being active late at night. It carries a slightly adventurous or unconventional tone compared to simply saying you stay up late. It is commonly used as a noun or a verb phrase depending on the context.
Examples
He loves going out at night, he always gets home in the middle of the night.
Do you know which animals are nocturnal?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin term for a night train or night bus, which is also written as 夜行. In Cantonese, it specifically emphasizes the activity or the nature of being active at night rather than the mode of transport.
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.
