ji1衣
Jyutpingji1
Yaleyī
Definition
To wear or put on clothing.
colloquialclothing
How it's used
While the character 衣 is used in formal compounds like 衣服, it is almost never used as a standalone verb in spoken Cantonese. Instead, the character 着 is used to express the act of wearing. You will see 衣 in written contexts or specific idioms, but in daily life, stick to 着 for all clothing items.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 衣 as a verb in speech. Learners often try to use it because it appears in the dictionary definition, but native speakers will find it unnatural or literary.
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.
