mat6 jyu5物語物语
Jyutpingmat6 jyu5
Yalemaht yúh
Definition
Monogatari; a traditional Japanese literary genre meaning story or tale.
colloquialother
How it's used
Borrowing directly from Japanese, this term is almost exclusively used when discussing Japanese literature, anime, or cinema. It carries a specific aesthetic connotation of a narrative that is poetic, nostalgic, or deeply character-driven, rather than just a generic plot. Using it to describe a standard Western story or a simple news report would sound pretentious or confusing.
Measure word
bun2本búnExamples
This movie has a real 'monogatari' feel to it.
Have you read that Japanese tale book yet?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to mean a generic story or tale in Cantonese, as that would be 故事. It is a loanword that retains its specific Japanese cultural context.
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).
