mei6 fan1未婚
Jyutpingmei6 fan1
Yalemeih fān
Definition
Unmarried; single; not yet married.
neutralpeople
How it's used
Unmarried status is often expressed more naturally in daily life using the loanword 單身. Using 未婚 sounds slightly more formal or clinical, often appearing in official documents, legal forms, or when discussing marital status in a serious context. It carries a sense of objective fact rather than the social lifestyle connotation of being single.
Examples
He is still unmarried right now, no need to be so anxious.
Are you unmarried?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using 未婚 to describe someone who is simply not in a relationship, as it strictly refers to legal marital status. If you want to say someone is not dating anyone, use 單身 instead.
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.
