maa5 gwok3馬國马国
Jyutpingmaa5 gwok3
Yalemáh gwok
Definition
Malaysia; another name for the country.
colloquialplacestravel
How it's used
Shortening country names is common in casual speech to save time. While 馬國 is widely understood, it is strictly colloquial and should be avoided in formal writing or official documents where 馬來西亞 is required.
Examples
Are you going to travel to Malaysia this year?
All my relatives live in Malaysia.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 馬國明, which is the name of a famous Hong Kong actor. Context usually makes it clear, but be aware that the two terms are phonetically identical in many contexts.
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.
