sau1 joeng5收養收养
Jyutpingsau1 joeng5
Yalesāu yéuhng
Definition
To adopt; to take in and bring up orphans or abandoned animals.
neutralpeopleanimals
How it's used
Focuses on the formal act of taking someone or something into one's family or care. While it is used for children, it is equally common when discussing pets from shelters or rescue organizations. It implies a sense of responsibility and long term commitment rather than just temporary care.
Examples
They decided to adopt that stray cat.
Are you planning to adopt this child?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 領養, which is the more standard and common term specifically for adopting children or pets. 收養 can sound slightly more administrative or legalistic in certain contexts.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
