wut6活
Jyutpingwut6
Yalewuht
Definition
To live; to stay alive; to exist.
neutraldaily actionspeople
How it's used
Using 活 as a standalone verb for 'to live' is quite formal and often sounds literary or philosophical. In everyday speech, Hong Kongers almost always prefer using 生活 when talking about the act of living or one's lifestyle. When describing the state of being alive, people usually use 生存 instead.
Examples
He is living on very hard.
How do you think one can be considered to be living happily?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using 活 to mean 'to reside' or 'to dwell', as that is exclusively reserved for 住. Using 活 to describe your current living situation will sound unnatural and confusing to native speakers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
