mau4眸
Jyutpingmau4
Yalemàuh
Definition
Eye or pupil.
writtenbodydescriptions
How it's used
Literary in nature, this character is rarely used in spoken Cantonese except when describing someone's eyes in a poetic or emotive way. It is almost exclusively paired with other characters like in 眼眸 or 眸子 to sound more expressive or elegant. Using it in casual daily conversation can make you sound like you are reciting a poem or reading from a novel.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this as a direct replacement for 眼 in everyday contexts, such as saying you have something in your eye or that your eyes are tired. It is strictly reserved for descriptive or artistic references to the eyes.
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.
