jyun4 sam1鉛芯铅芯
Jyutpingjyun4 sam1
Yaleyùhn sām
Definition
Pencil lead, including lead refills for mechanical pencils.
- pencil lead; the graphite core inside a pencil
- mechanical pencil lead refill
colloquialschool
How it's used
Refers specifically to the thin graphite refills used in mechanical pencils, which are called 鉛芯筆 in Cantonese. While the word contains the character for lead, these refills are made of graphite and clay, not actual lead. It is common to specify the thickness, such as 0.5 or 0.7, when buying them at a stationery shop.
Measure word
zi1支jīExamples
Do you have any extra pencil lead?
My mechanical pencil has run out of lead.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 鉛筆, which is the entire pencil itself. Also, ensure you use the correct measure word 支 when talking about individual pieces of lead.
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.
