man2文
Jyutpingman2
Yalemán
Definition
Literature, writing, or language.
neutralschoolcommunication
How it's used
Functions primarily as a bound morpheme in Cantonese rather than a standalone noun. It appears frequently in compound words related to academic or cultural contexts. When referring to the school subject, it is almost always paired with other characters like 中文 or 英文.
Examples
He really likes reading literature.
Do you find Chinese class boring?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using it as a standalone word for 'language' or 'text' in casual speech, as it sounds overly formal or literary. Use 中文 or 英文 instead when talking about specific languages.
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.
