san6 zong6腎臟肾脏
Jyutpingsan6 zong6
Yalesahn johng
Definition
Kidney.
neutralbodyhealth
How it's used
While 腎臟 is the formal medical term for the organ, native speakers almost exclusively use the single character 腎 in daily conversation. Using the full term 腎臟 can sound overly clinical or like you are reading from a medical report. It is common to hear people talk about 腎虧 or 補腎 in the context of traditional Chinese medicine, where 腎 is treated as a holistic concept rather than just the physical organ.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He has been having lower back pain lately and is worried something is wrong with his kidneys.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often use 腎臟 in casual conversation where 腎 is more natural. Additionally, do not confuse the physical organ with the slang term 腎虧, which refers to a vague concept of kidney deficiency often used in advertisements for health supplements.
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.
