saan1羴
Jyutpingsaan1
Yalesāan
Definition
A flock of sheep or goats, or an alternative spelling for the smell of mutton.
- a flock of sheep or goats
- archaicrank, gamy smell of mutton
writtenfoodanimals
How it's used
While originally referring to a flock of sheep, this character is almost exclusively used in modern Cantonese to describe the distinct, gamey smell associated with mutton or goat meat. It functions as a noun or adjective to describe that specific pungent scent. You will rarely see it used to literally count animals in daily life, as other terms are preferred for that purpose.
Examples
There is a whole flock of sheep grazing on the mountain.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the character for sheep itself, which is 羊. Using 羴 to refer to the animal itself will sound archaic or confusing to most native speakers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
