tong3熨
Jyutpingtong3
Yaletong
Definition
To iron; to make clothes flat and smooth using an iron.
colloquialclothingdaily actions
How it's used
Pronunciation is the most important aspect here, as it is commonly read as wan3 in daily speech, despite dictionary entries often listing it as wat1. It is almost exclusively used in the context of clothing, whereas other methods of smoothing or pressing are described using different verbs.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin pronunciation or the written form 燙, which is rarely used in spoken Cantonese for this specific action.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
