jing4刑
Jyutpingjing4
Yaleyìhng
Definition
Punishment, penalty, or criminal sentence.
neutralother
How it's used
This character is primarily a bound morpheme used in formal or legal contexts rather than a standalone word in everyday speech. It appears in compound nouns related to the judicial system and criminal justice. When discussing punishment in casual conversation, speakers typically prefer using terms like 罰 or 懲罰.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
punishment or penalty
to sentence
to execute a sentence
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a verb meaning to punish, but it functions almost exclusively as a noun or part of a compound word. Using it to describe scolding a child or a minor consequence sounds unnatural and overly dramatic.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
