jing1 lei5英里
Jyutpingjing1 lei5
Yaleyīng léih
Definition
Mile; specifically the imperial unit of length.
neutralother
How it's used
Refers specifically to the imperial unit of distance, which is rarely used in daily life in Hong Kong. Most locals rely on the metric system, so you will almost exclusively encounter this term when reading older road signs, historical documents, or translations from British sources. In casual conversation, people often just use the loanword 哩 instead.
Examples
It is still five miles from the city center here.
Do you know how many kilometers five miles is?
Related words
Common phrases
miles per hour
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the colloquial 哩, which is a direct phonetic loan from English. While 英里 is the formal, standard way to write the unit, it sounds quite stiff or academic in spoken Cantonese.
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.
