sang1 ciu3生肖
Jyutpingsang1 ciu3
Yalesāng chiu
Definition
The Chinese zodiac; the twelve animals representing the year of a person's birth.
colloquialpeopletime
How it's used
Asking about someone's zodiac animal is a common way to indirectly determine their age, as the cycle repeats every twelve years. Because of this, some people may be hesitant to answer the question if they prefer to keep their age private. It is standard to use the verb 屬 to indicate which animal a person belongs to.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Which Chinese zodiac animal are you?
His zodiac animal is the dragon this year, which is very impressive.
Related words
Common phrases
what is your Chinese zodiac animal
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 係 instead of 屬 when talking about their zodiac animal. Always use 屬 to express belonging to a specific zodiac sign.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
