jyut6 siu2月小
Jyutpingjyut6 siu2
Yaleyuht síu
Definition
A short month with 28, 29, or 30 days.
neutraltime
How it's used
Traditional lunar calendars and older almanacs rely on the distinction between 月大 and 月小 to track the length of months. While modern speakers use the Gregorian calendar, this terminology remains common in contexts involving traditional festivals or fortune telling. It specifically refers to months that do not have thirty-one days.
Examples
February is a short month this year, with only twenty-eight days.
Related words
Common phrases
February is a short month
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with general descriptions of time, but it is a technical term rooted in calendar systems. Do not use it to describe a month that simply feels short due to being busy or having many work days.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
