laai1 sou4拉蘇拉苏
Jyutpinglaai1 sou4
Yalelāai sòuh
Definition
Lysol; brand name of cleaning and disinfectant products.
colloquialhomedaily actions
How it's used
This term is a direct phonetic loanword used specifically to refer to the brand Lysol or, more broadly, to any disinfectant spray or cleaning solution. It is treated as a mass noun in daily speech, often appearing in contexts involving household chores or sanitation. Because it is a brand name that has become a generic term, it is understood by almost all local speakers as a synonym for household disinfectant.
Examples
Remember to use Lysol to wipe the table clean.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with generic cleaning terms like 消毒藥水, which refers more broadly to medical-grade disinfectants like Dettol. Using this word to describe a medical antiseptic might cause confusion as it is strongly associated with household surface cleaning products.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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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).
