ngaan5 seoi2眼水
Jyutpingngaan5 seoi2
Yalengáahn séui
Definition
Tears, especially when not due to crying.
colloquialbodyhealth
How it's used
Focuses on the physical secretion of tears rather than the emotional act of crying. It is frequently used to describe involuntary reactions to external stimuli like wind, smoke, or spicy food. While it can refer to tears in general, using it for emotional sobbing sounds slightly detached or clinical compared to the more common term 喊.
Measure word
dik6滴dikhExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this word to describe the emotional act of crying itself, as it refers specifically to the liquid substance. If someone is sad and sobbing, use 喊 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
