on1 wai3安慰
Jyutpingon1 wai3
Yaleōn wai
Definition
Comfort or consolation; something that makes a person feel better or more at ease.
neutralemotionpeople
How it's used
Often used as a verb in spoken Cantonese to describe the act of offering emotional support. It frequently appears in contexts where someone is feeling down or stressed, focusing on the relief brought by words or actions. Unlike some formal terms, it carries a sense of genuine warmth and personal connection.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 鼓勵, which specifically means to encourage or motivate someone to do better. While comfort focuses on soothing emotional pain, encouragement focuses on pushing someone forward.
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.
