sin3 man4線民线民
Jyutpingsin3 man4
Yalesin màhn
Definition
Informant; a person who provides clues or information to authorities.
colloquialpeoplecommunication
How it's used
This term is heavily influenced by Taiwanese Mandarin and is not the most common way to refer to an informant in local Cantonese. While understood in Hong Kong due to media exposure, native speakers typically use terms like 針 or 臥底 depending on the context. It carries a slightly more formal or journalistic tone compared to the more streetwise slang terms.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He is a police informant and provides intelligence all the time.
Related words
Common phrases
police informant
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Cantonese word 網民, which refers to internet users. Learners often mistake the two because of the similar sound and the fact that both involve information flow.
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).
