man5敏
Jyutpingman5
Yalemáhn
Definition
Quick-witted, smart, and agile in response.
neutraldescriptions
How it's used
This character is primarily a bound morpheme in Cantonese and rarely stands alone as a complete adjective in modern speech. It is most frequently encountered in compound words like 敏捷 or 聰敏 to describe mental or physical agility. When describing a person who is quick to react, native speakers usually prefer the phrase 反應快 instead of using this character as a standalone descriptor.
Examples
He is very quick-witted, he understands as soon as you say it.
You are so agile, you must be very good at sports.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 敏 as a direct substitute for fast or quick in all contexts, but it specifically refers to agility, sharpness, or responsiveness rather than raw speed or velocity.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
