si1 mou5絲母丝母
Jyutpingsi1 mou5
Yalesī móuh
Definition
A screw nut; a type of hardware used with bolts to fasten objects.
colloquialother
How it's used
Refers specifically to the female threaded component used to fasten a bolt. While the term is widely understood, many speakers prefer the more explicit 螺絲帽 to avoid any potential confusion with the word for silk or thread. It is strictly a technical term for hardware and is not used metaphorically in daily speech.
Measure word
nap1粒nāpExamples
This nut doesn't seem to fit, I can't screw it in.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 螺絲, which refers to the bolt or screw itself. Remember that 絲母 is the piece that receives the screw, not the screw itself.
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.
