sam1 je6深夜
Jyutpingsam1 je6
Yalesām yeh
Definition
Late at night; deep in the night.
neutraltime
How it's used
Refers specifically to the quiet, late hours when most people are already asleep. It carries a slightly more formal or descriptive tone than just saying 夜晚, often used to emphasize the lateness of an action or event. It is common to hear it paired with specific times to highlight how late something is happening.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe the early evening hours, as it specifically implies the middle of the night. For general evening time, use 夜晚 instead.
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.
