koi3漑
Jyutpingkoi3
Yalekoi
Definition
To irrigate, flood, or wash; water.
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How it's used
While 漑 is the formal character for watering plants, it is almost exclusively used in formal or written contexts. In daily spoken Cantonese, people overwhelmingly use 淋 as the verb for watering plants, as it sounds much more natural and less academic.
Examples
The flowers are all dry, go water them quickly.
Related words
Common phrases
irrigation
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 漑 in casual conversation because they see it in books or formal signs. Using it in a casual setting will sound overly stiff or like you are reading from a textbook.
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).
