je6 ang1夜鶯夜莺
Jyutpingje6 ang1
Yaleyeh āng
Definition
Nightingale, or a euphemism for a prostitute.
- nightingale
- slangprostitute
colloquialanimalspeople
How it's used
While the term refers to the bird in biological contexts, it is frequently used as a euphemism for sex workers in Hong Kong. The double meaning relies on the bird's habit of singing at night, which parallels the nocturnal nature of the sex industry. When using this word, context is crucial to avoid unintended implications.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
There is a nightingale singing in the park.
Do you know where the nightingales appear?
Related words
Common mistake
Using this word in a casual conversation about birds might lead to confusion or awkwardness due to its secondary meaning as a euphemism for prostitutes.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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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).
