juk6 mai5玉米
Jyutpingjuk6 mai5
Yaleyuhk máih
Definition
Maize; corn.
colloquialfood
How it's used
Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use 粟米 to refer to corn. While 玉米 is understood because of Mandarin influence in media and literature, it sounds unnatural and foreign in daily conversation. Using 粟米 ensures you sound like a local when ordering food or grocery shopping.
Measure word
tiu4條tìuhRelated words
Common mistake
Avoid using 玉米 in casual speech, as it marks you as a non-native speaker or someone heavily influenced by Mandarin. Stick to 粟米 for all contexts, including menus and casual chat.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
