maa5 ngai5螞蟻蚂蚁
Jyutpingmaa5 ngai5
Yalemáh ngáih
Definition
Ant; a small, social insect that lives in highly organized colonies.
colloquialanimals
How it's used
Refers specifically to the insect, but often appears in the idiom 螞蟻搬家 to describe someone moving house with many small trips. It is frequently used in casual conversation to complain about food being left out and attracting pests.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
There are a few ants crawling on the kitchen floor.
Do you see a lot of ants on the ground?
Related words
Common phrases
ants moving house (often used metaphorically for moving belongings in many small trips)
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.
