toi4臺台
Jyutpingtoi4
Yaletòih
Definition
Classifier for machines, appliances, and vehicles.
colloquialtechnology
How it's used
Refers specifically to large or complex electronic equipment like computers, televisions, and washing machines. It carries a sense of weight or structural complexity that smaller handheld devices do not possess. While often interchangeable with 部 in casual speech, 臺 emphasizes the physical presence or the machine as a substantial unit.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often use 臺 for small handheld electronics like mobile phones, but 部 is the standard and more natural choice for those items. Reserve 臺 for larger, stationary, or more substantial pieces of hardware.
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.
