soeng4裳
Jyutpingsoeng4
Yalesèuhng
Definition
Clothing; specifically skirt-like lower garments in ancient times, or a general term for clothes.
- literaryskirt-like lower garments in ancient times
- clothes; clothing in general
colloquialclothing
How it's used
While historically referring specifically to the lower garment, modern Cantonese speakers often use this term in a slightly literary or poetic sense to refer to clothing in general. It carries a more elegant or classical nuance compared to the everyday word 衫. You will frequently encounter it in compound words or formal descriptions rather than casual speech.
Measure word
gin2件gínExamples
This piece of clothing is beautiful, where did you buy it?
She wore a new outfit to go for dim sum today.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 衫, which is the standard, everyday word for clothes. Using 裳 in a very casual, fast-paced conversation might sound slightly affected or overly dramatic to native speakers.
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).
