syun4船

Jyutpingsyun4

Yalesyùhn

名詞Common

Definition

Boat, ship, or vessel; a watercraft or vehicle that travels on water.

colloquialtransport

How it's used

While 船 is the general term for any vessel, Hong Kongers frequently use the classifier 隻 for smaller boats or ferries. The term 艘 is reserved for very large ships or cruise liners, sounding much more formal or literary. When referring to the act of traveling by boat, the verb 搭 is the most natural choice.

Measure word

zek3隻jek

Examples

ngo5我dei6哋ting1聽jat6日daap3搭syun4船heoi3去lei4離dou2島wun6玩aa4呀。

We are taking a boat to the outlying islands to hang out tomorrow.

nei5你daap3搭syun4船go2嗰zan6陣wui2會m4唔wui2會wan4暈syun4船long6浪㗎？

Do you get seasick when you travel by boat?

Common phrases

daap3搭syun4船

to take a boat

wan4暈syun4船long6浪

to be seasick

Common mistake

Learners often try to use 坐 for all forms of transport, but for boats, 搭 is more common in daily speech. Additionally, remember that 暈船浪 is a specific compound noun for seasickness, so you should not just say 暈船.