tai1梯

Jyutpingtai1

Yaletāi

名詞Common

Definition

Ladder; a tool with rungs used for climbing up and down.

colloquialhomedaily actions

How it's used

While 梯 refers to a ladder, it is also frequently used as a shorthand for 樓梯 when referring to stairs in a building. When you are talking about climbing up or down a flight of stairs, you often use the measure_word 堂 instead of 條. The term is versatile enough to cover both portable ladders and fixed staircases depending on the context of the conversation.

Measure word

tiu4條tìuh

Examples

nei5你bong1幫ngo5我fu4扶zyu6住tiu4條tai1梯，ngo5我soeng5上heoi3去wun6換dang1燈daam2膽。

Hold the ladder for me, I'm going up to change the lightbulb.

nei1呢dou6度jau5有tiu4條tai1梯ho2可ji5以soeng6上dou3到heoi3去tin1天toi2台，nei5你siu2小sam1心di1啲aa4呀。

There's a ladder here that goes up to the roof, be careful.

Related words

Common phrases

paa4爬tai1梯

to climb a ladder

soeng6上tai1梯

to go up the ladder or stairs

Common mistake

Do not confuse 梯 with 樓梯 when you specifically mean a staircase inside a building, as 梯 alone is more commonly associated with a portable ladder. If you are referring to a flight of stairs, it is safer to use 樓梯 to avoid ambiguity.