jyun4芫
Jyutpingjyun4
Yaleyùhn
Definition
Coriander, or lilac daphne (a plant used in Chinese herbal medicine).
- coriander; cilantro
- technicallilac daphne (Daphne genkwa)
colloquialfood
How it's used
While 芫 refers to the medicinal plant Daphne genkwa in formal botanical or herbal contexts, it is almost exclusively used in daily life as the first character of 芫荽 to mean coriander. You will rarely hear someone use the single character 芫 on its own in a market or restaurant setting. It is essentially a shorthand that relies on the full compound to be understood clearly.
Examples
Remember to buy some coriander when you go grocery shopping.
A lot of coriander was added to this bowl of soup.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse the pronunciation of 芫荽 with the Mandarin reading, as it is pronounced differently in Cantonese. Many learners mistakenly assume the character 芫 is used for other herbs, but it is strictly associated with coriander in common parlance.
Grammar color guide
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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.
