mei5美
Jyutpingmei5
Yaleméih
Definition
Abbreviation for America, referring to the USA or the Americas.
- abbreviation for the USA
- abbreviation for the Americas
neutralplaces
How it's used
Using 美 as a prefix for the United States is extremely common in news headlines and formal writing, but it is less frequently used in casual spoken conversation compared to saying 美國. It functions as a bound morpheme, meaning it must be attached to another character like 國, 元, or 軍 to form a complete word. When speaking, people usually prefer the full name 美國 to avoid ambiguity with the adjective meaning beautiful.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using 美 alone to mean the country in casual speech, as it sounds like the adjective for beautiful or pretty. Always attach it to a noun like 國 or 元 to ensure the meaning is clear.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
