maa1 saang1孖生
Jyutpingmaa1 saang1
Yalemā sāang
Definition
Twin; born as one of a pair.
colloquialpeoplefamily
How it's used
Refers specifically to biological twins rather than just people who look alike. It is frequently used as an adjective to describe siblings, often paired with specific family roles like 孖生兄弟 or 孖生姊妹. While it functions as a descriptive word, it is rarely used to describe non-human objects unless referring to specific items that come in a pair, such as 孖生大廈.
Examples
The two of them are twins.
Do you and your twin brother look alike?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe things that are merely identical or paired, as it implies a biological birth connection. For inanimate objects that are identical, use 雙胞 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
