san4 kei4神奇
Jyutpingsan4 kei4
Yalesàhn kèih
Definition
Miraculous, magical, or amazing; beyond expectation and eliciting wonder.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Often used to describe something that defies logical explanation or seems to happen by pure luck. It carries a sense of wonder or disbelief, frequently paired with particles like 呀 or 喎 to emphasize the speaker's surprise. Unlike the Mandarin usage, it is rarely used to describe something simply 'cool' or 'interesting' in a casual sense.
Examples
This magic show is truly amazing.
How did you do that? It's really miraculous.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using it to describe something that is merely 'good' or 'high quality'. It specifically implies an element of mystery or an outcome that feels impossible, so using it for mundane tasks sounds unnatural.
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.
