seoi2水
Jyutpingseoi2
Yaleséui
Definition
Water; the colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid compound of hydrogen and oxygen.
Example
colloquialdrinkmoney
How it's used
Beyond the literal meaning of liquid water, this word is frequently used in slang to refer to money. You will often hear people talk about 搵水, which means to make money or earn a living. It also appears in various compound nouns related to liquid substances, such as 汽水 for soda or 藥水 for liquid medicine.
Measure word
bui1杯būiExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage where it can sometimes imply being cheated or scammed, as that specific nuance is not standard in Cantonese. Also, remember that while it refers to water, it is not used for rain; for rain, you must use 雨.
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).
