wo4 faa1 zoek2禾花雀
Jyutpingwo4 faa1 zoek2
Yalewòh fā jéuk
Definition
Yellow-breasted bunting; a small bird with a yellow breast, historically eaten as a delicacy in South China.
colloquialanimals
How it's used
Mentioning this bird often carries a heavy environmental context in Hong Kong, as it is a critically endangered species due to historical overhunting for food. Using this term today frequently triggers discussions about conservation rather than culinary habits. It is distinct from the common 麻雀 because of its specific migratory patterns and yellow plumage.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
People used to really love eating yellow-breasted buntings.
Related words
Common phrases
deep-fried yellow-breasted bunting
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the common house sparrow, which is called 麻雀. While they look somewhat similar to the untrained eye, the cultural and conservation status of the two birds is vastly different.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
