jyut3 seon4乙醇
Jyutpingjyut3 seon4
Yaleyut sèuhn
Definition
Ethanol; a flammable, volatile, clear liquid chemical compound commonly known as alcohol.
neutralother
How it's used
Scientific contexts exclusively use this term, whereas daily life relies almost entirely on 酒精. Using 乙醇 in a casual conversation about cleaning your hands or disinfecting a wound sounds overly clinical or academic. It is the standard term found on labels of chemical products or in chemistry textbooks.
Examples
This bottle of disinfectant contains ethanol.
Is ethanol very easy to catch fire?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 乙醇 when they mean the common household rubbing alcohol, which is almost always referred to as 酒精 in Hong Kong.
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.
