mei5 lai6美麗美丽
Jyutpingmei5 lai6
Yaleméih laih
Definition
Beautiful; pretty, typically describing women or scenery.
neutraldescriptions
How it's used
While this word is perfectly understandable, it sounds quite formal or literary in spoken Cantonese. Most native speakers prefer using 靚 to describe people, objects, or scenery in daily life. Using this word often adds a touch of poetic or dramatic flair to a sentence.
Examples
This place is really beautiful.
You look very beautiful dressed up today.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe everyday objects like food or clothes, as it will sound unnatural or overly flowery. Stick to 靚 for general beauty and reserve this for more formal writing or grand descriptions.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
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.
