joek6曰
Jyutpingjoek6
Yaleyeuhk
Definition
To say, speak, or write.
writtencommunication
How it's used
This character is strictly reserved for formal, literary, or classical contexts. It is never used in daily spoken Cantonese, where people use 講 or 話 instead. You will mostly encounter it in written quotations, historical texts, or when someone is intentionally mimicking an archaic or scholarly tone.
Examples
The ancients said: learning is like rowing a boat against the current.
This book says: one must be honest in life.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this in everyday speech because they see it in classical texts. Using it in a casual conversation will sound extremely unnatural and pretentious, as if you are reciting a poem or a historical document.
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).
