jyu4 ji4魚兒鱼儿
Jyutpingjyu4 ji4
Yaleyùh yìh
Definition
Fish.
colloquialfoodanimals
How it's used
Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use 魚 instead of 魚兒. Adding the suffix 兒 is a feature of Mandarin that sounds unnatural or overly poetic in a Cantonese context. Using it in daily life may make you sound like you are reciting a children's storybook or mimicking a northern accent.
Measure word
tiu4條tìuhRelated words
Common mistake
Learners often try to add 兒 to nouns to sound more native, but in Cantonese, this suffix is rarely used and often sounds out of place. Stick to the base noun 魚 to avoid sounding like you are speaking Mandarin.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
