man4 jiu4民謠民谣
Jyutpingman4 jiu4
Yalemàhn yìuh
Definition
Folk song or ballad; a simple song passed down among the common people.
neutralother
How it's used
Refers specifically to songs passed down through generations within a community rather than written by a professional composer. While it can technically encompass folk tales, in modern Cantonese it is almost exclusively used for music. It carries a sense of nostalgia and cultural heritage.
Measure word
sau2首sáuExamples
This folk song has a lot of local character.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 流行曲, which refers to modern pop music. 民謠 implies a traditional or rustic quality, whereas 流行曲 is for contemporary commercial music.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
