mak6陌
Jyutpingmak6
Yalemahk
Definition
A footpath between fields, or unfamiliar.
- raised path or footpath between fields
- unfamiliar; strange
neutraldescriptionspeople
How it's used
陌 is almost exclusively encountered in the compound 陌生 when describing people or places that are unknown to the speaker. It carries a sense of distance or lack of prior experience. While the character historically refers to paths between fields, that usage is effectively absent from modern spoken Cantonese.
Examples
He is very unfamiliar with this place.
Do you feel like this place is very unfamiliar?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 陌 as a standalone verb or noun in daily speech. It is a bound morpheme that only functions within the set word 陌生.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
