jyu4孺

Jyutpingjyu4

Yaleyùh

語素

Definition

Child; kid.

writtenpeople

How it's used

This character is almost exclusively found in literary idioms or formal written Chinese rather than daily spoken Cantonese. When referring to children in conversation, native speakers naturally use terms like 細路 or 小朋友. Using it in casual speech will sound highly archaic or overly dramatic.

Measure word

go3個go

Examples

ni1呢go3個jyu4孺zi2子hou2好gwaai1乖aa4呀。

This child is very well-behaved.

nei5你gin3見gwo3過go2嗰go3個jyu4孺zi2子mei6未aa4呀？

Have you seen that child yet?

Common phrases

jyu4孺zi2子ho2可gaau3教

a child worth teaching; a promising youth

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for a common noun, but it is a bound morpheme that rarely stands alone in modern speech. Avoid using it in everyday contexts to prevent sounding like a classical text.