maau1 zai2貓仔猫仔

Jyutpingmaau1 zai2

Yalemāau jái

名詞Common

Definition

Kitten, or in prison slang, a radio.

kitten; a young cat
slangradio

colloquialanimalsslang

How it's used

Using this term for a radio is specific to prison slang in Hong Kong, where inmates use it to refer to small, smuggled-in radios. In everyday life, the term almost exclusively refers to a young cat. It is a classic example of how Cantonese vocabulary can shift dramatically depending on the social environment.

Measure word

zek3隻jek

Examples

le1呢zek3隻maau1貓zai2仔hou2好dak1得ji3意aa4呀。

This kitten is so cute.

nei5你go3個maau1貓zai2仔zung6仲sau1收m4唔sau1收dou2到din6電toi4台zit3節muk6目？

Can your radio still pick up the radio station program?

Common phrases

joeng5養maau1貓zai2仔

to raise a kitten

Common mistake

Do not use the radio meaning in general conversation, as people will assume you are talking about a cat. If you are not in a prison context, stick to using 收音機 for radio.