sing1 sing1猩猩
Jyutpingsing1 sing1
Yalesīng sīng
Definition
An ape; a general term for non-human hominids, including chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.
colloquialanimals
How it's used
Colloquially, people often use this term as a catch-all for any large ape, even if they are technically referring to a specific species like a chimpanzee or gorilla. It is rarely used in a scientific context in daily speech, so precision is usually sacrificed for simplicity. If you want to be specific, you should use the full names like 黑猩猩 or 大猩猩.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
That orangutan in the zoo looks like it is very unhappy.
Do you know that apes are actually very smart?
Related words
Common phrases
baby ape
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 猴子, which refers to monkeys. Remember that 猩猩 refers to apes, which are generally larger and lack tails, whereas 猴子 have tails and are typically smaller.
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.
