si5市
Jyutpingsi5
Yalesíh
Definition
A market; a place where trading and transaction take place.
neutralshoppingmoney
How it's used
As a bound morpheme, this character rarely stands alone in modern Cantonese to mean market. It typically appears in compound words like 街市 for wet markets or 股市 for stock markets. When referring to a general marketplace, locals almost always use 街市 or 市場 instead.
Examples
He went to the wet market to buy groceries today.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for the Mandarin word for city, but in Cantonese, the word for city is usually 城 or 城市. Using it alone to mean city will sound unnatural or archaic.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- TonesCantonese has six tones, and the tones can change in certain grammatical contexts. Learn the six tones and the rules for tone change.
- Time and datesClock time, days of the week, months, and years. The patterns you need to make plans and talk about when things happen.
- Modal verbsHow to say can, will, may, should, must, and want. The core modal verbs of Cantonese and the differences that trip up beginners.
