ngaan5眼
Jyutpingngaan5
Yalengáahn
Definition
Eye; the visual organ that turns light into signals for the brain to process.
colloquialbody
How it's used
While standard Mandarin uses 眼睛, Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use 眼 when referring to the organ itself. When talking about the physical act of seeing or vision, it is common to use the verb 睇. The word is frequently paired with specific classifiers like 隻 for a single eye or 對 for a pair, reflecting the natural way people describe body parts.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
Your eye looks red, are you feeling uncomfortable?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 眼睛 because of Mandarin influence, but this sounds unnatural and overly formal in daily Cantonese conversation. Stick to using 眼 to sound like a local.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- NegationHow to say no, not, didn't, and don't in Cantonese. The four main negation words and when to use each one.
- Numbers and moneyCounting, talking about money, and asking how much things cost. Includes the two words for two and the everyday words for dollars and cents.
- 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.
