tou4 jan4途人
Jyutpingtou4 jan4
Yaletòuh yàhn
Definition
Pedestrian or passerby.
neutralpeopleplaces
How it's used
Refers specifically to people who are currently walking along a road or path, often in the context of being observed or affected by an event. It carries a slightly more formal or descriptive tone compared to just saying 路人, which is more common in casual speech. Use this when you want to emphasize the person's status as someone passing through a space rather than someone belonging to it.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
There were many pedestrians walking there at that time.
Did you see the passer-by just now?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 路人. While they are interchangeable in many contexts, 途人 feels slightly more like a formal observation, whereas 路人 is the standard, everyday term for someone on the street.
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.
