soeng4償偿
Jyutpingsoeng4
Yalesèuhng
Definition
To repay what was borrowed, or to compensate someone for their loss with equivalent value.
writtenmoneyother
How it's used
This character is primarily a formal morpheme rather than a standalone verb in daily speech. It almost always appears in compound words like 賠償 or 償還, which carry a sense of legal or moral obligation. When speaking casually, people prefer using 賠 or 還 instead of using this character on its own.
Examples
You broke someone's phone, you must compensate them.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often try to use this as a direct verb for paying back money, but it sounds overly literary or stiff in conversation. Use 賠 for damages and 還 for returning borrowed items to sound natural.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
