man5憫悯
Jyutpingman5
Yalemáhn
Definition
To pity, sympathize with, or feel compassion for someone.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
Functions primarily as a verb in spoken Cantonese to express sympathy or pity for someone's unfortunate situation. It carries a slightly more personal or emotional weight compared to the more formal 憐憫. It is frequently used in casual conversation to describe feeling sorry for someone who is suffering or has made a mistake.
Examples
Seeing how miserable they are, I really feel pity for them.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid confusing this with 悶, which means bored or stuffy. The two characters look visually similar but have completely different meanings and pronunciations.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
