lai6麗丽
Jyutpinglai6
Yalelaih
Definition
Beautiful; having a fine appearance or scenery.
writtendescriptions
How it's used
This character is primarily a literary morpheme rather than a standalone adjective in spoken Cantonese. You will rarely hear it used alone to describe a person or object in daily conversation, as people prefer words like 靚 or 漂亮. It is mostly encountered in formal compound words or idioms describing grand, ornate, or majestic settings.
Examples
The scenery in this place is so magnificent.
The dress she is wearing is really gorgeous.
Related words
Common phrases
magnificent
gorgeous or ornate
gentle breeze and beautiful sunshine
Common mistake
Do not attempt to use this as a direct replacement for 靚 in casual speech, as it sounds overly formal or poetic. Using it to describe a person's appearance in a normal conversation will sound unnatural and pretentious.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
