si1 tou4司徒
Jyutpingsi1 tou4
Yalesī tòuh
Definition
A Chinese compound surname, commonly transliterated as Szeto.
neutralpeople
How it's used
Compound surnames like 司徒 are distinct from single character surnames because they consist of two characters. They are treated as a single unit when addressing someone, so you should always use the full two character name followed by a title like 先生 or 小姐. It is considered impolite to drop the first character and refer to them only by the second character.
Examples
Mr. Szeto is my old classmate.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners sometimes mistakenly treat the first character as a title or a separate name, but it is an inseparable part of the surname. Never try to shorten it to just 徒 or 司.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
