ng5 dim2 zung1五點鐘五点钟
Jyutpingng5 dim2 zung1
Yaleńgh dím jūng
Definition
Five o'clock.
colloquialtime
How it's used
Adding 鐘 is optional in casual speech, so saying 五點 is perfectly natural and common. When specifying the time, the word 鐘 acts as a marker for the hour, distinguishing it from a duration of time. If you want to say for a duration of five hours, you must use 五個鐘 instead.
Examples
Let's meet at the MTR station at five o'clock.
Are you getting off work at five o'clock?
Common mistake
Do not confuse the time of day with a duration. Saying 五點鐘 means five o'clock, whereas saying 五個鐘 means five hours.
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.
