tung4 wai2 sou3同位素
Jyutpingtung4 wai2 sou3
Yaletùhng wái sou
Definition
Isotope; variants of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
neutralother
How it's used
Scientific terminology like this is often borrowed directly from written Chinese and pronounced using Cantonese reading pronunciations. It functions exactly like its English counterpart in academic or technical discussions. You will rarely hear this in casual street conversation unless the topic specifically involves chemistry or physics.
Measure word
zung3種jungExamples
The half-life of this isotope is very long.
Do you know how many isotopes this element has?
Related words
Common phrases
radioactive isotope
stable isotope
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.
