saam1 fan6 zi1 jat1三份之一

Jyutpingsaam1 fan6 zi1 jat1

Yalesāam fahn jī yāt

Definition

One third; a third.

colloquialnumbers

How it's used

Fractions in Cantonese are typically expressed by putting the denominator first, followed by 份之, and then the numerator. While 三份之一 is standard, you will frequently hear speakers shorten it to 三份一 in casual conversation. It functions as a noun phrase and often requires the particle 嘅 when modifying another noun.

Examples

ni1呢go3個daan6蛋gou1糕ngo5我sik6食zo2咗saam1三fan6份zi1之jat1一。

I ate a third of this cake.

nei5你zi1知m4唔zi1知saam1三fan6份zi1之jat1一hai6係gei2幾do1多aa4呀？

Do you know how much a third is?

Common phrases

saam1三fan6份zi1之jat1一ge3嘅si4時gaan3間

one third of the time

Common mistake

Learners often mistakenly use the Mandarin order of numerator first, which sounds unnatural to native speakers. Always remember to place the total number of parts before the 份之 structure.