mak6 ji5 but3墨爾砵墨尔砵
Jyutpingmak6 ji5 but3
Yalemahk yíh but
Definition
Melbourne, Australia
colloquialplacestravel
How it's used
This is the standard Cantonese transliteration for the Australian city. It is used exclusively in spoken and written Cantonese contexts to refer to the location, whereas Mandarin speakers typically use 墨爾本. The final character 砵 is distinct to the Cantonese pronunciation, reflecting the local phonetic adaptation.
Examples
He is going to travel to Melbourne next month.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use the Mandarin pronunciation 墨爾本 when speaking Cantonese, which sounds unnatural to locals. Always ensure the final character is pronounced with the Cantonese reading for 砵.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
