maa5馬马

Jyutpingmaa5

Yalemáh

名詞Very common

Definition

Horse; a large, fast, herbivorous mammal with long legs and a long neck, domesticated for riding and pulling loads.

ni1呢zek3隻maa5馬hou2好faai3快。

ni1呢zek3只maa5马hou2好faai3快。

This horse is fast.

neutralanimals

How it's used

Beyond the literal animal, this character appears frequently in contexts related to gambling and betting. It is common to hear people refer to horse racing simply as 跑馬. The term is also used in slang to describe the act of rushing or being busy, often implying a frantic pace.

Measure word

zek3隻jek

Examples

ngo5我sai3細go3個go2嗰zan6陣hou2好zung1鍾ji3意heoi3去ke4騎maa5馬。

I really liked to ride horses when I was small.

nei5你ting1聽jat6日wui2會m4唔wui2會heoi3去paau2跑maa5馬dei2地tai2睇maa5馬aa3呀？

Are you going to Happy Valley to watch the horse racing tomorrow?

Common phrases

paau2跑maa5馬

horse racing

ke4騎maa5馬

horse riding

Common mistake

While 匹 is the formal measure word for horses in literature, in everyday spoken Cantonese, it is very common to use 隻 instead. Using 匹 in casual conversation might sound slightly stiff or overly formal.