sik6 faan6食飯食饭
Jyutpingsik6 faan6
Yalesihk faahn
Definition
To have a meal or eat food.
- to eat rice
- to have a meal; to eat a meal
Example
colloquialfooddaily actions
How it's used
Functions as a general term for having a meal regardless of whether rice is actually served. It is the standard way to ask someone if they have eaten, often serving as a friendly greeting similar to asking how someone is doing. When someone asks this, they are usually not looking for a detailed report on your diet but simply initiating a casual conversation.
Examples
Have you eaten yet?
Let's go have a meal together.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not assume that the person asking this is inviting you to dinner; it is frequently used as a social pleasantry rather than a literal invitation.
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.
