kei4棋
Jyutpingkei4
Yalekèih
Definition
Pronunciation variant of the word for chess or board games, used in specific collocations.
neutralother
How it's used
棋 is rarely used as a standalone noun in casual speech, functioning instead as a bound morpheme within compound words. When referring to the act of playing a board game, the verb 捉 is almost always used rather than 玩. This specific verb choice highlights the strategic and tactile nature of moving pieces across a board.
Measure word
fu3副fuExamples
They are playing chess in the park.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 玩 for board games, but 捉 is the conventional verb for games like 象棋 or 圍棋. Using 玩 might sound unnatural to native speakers who associate it more with toys or video games.
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.
