wu4狐
Jyutpingwu4
Yalewùh
Definition
Fox
colloquialanimals
How it's used
While 狐 is the root morpheme for fox, it is almost never used alone in modern speech. You will almost exclusively encounter it as part of the compound 狐狸 or in metaphorical terms like 狐狸精, which refers to a person who seduces someone else's partner. Using 狐 by itself sounds archaic or like a fragment of a literary text.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
She is always acting like a homewrecker, it is really annoying.
Do you know that foxes are actually very smart animals?
Related words
Common phrases
homewrecker
to bully others by flaunting one's powerful connections
Common mistake
Do not use 狐 as a standalone noun for the animal in daily conversation, as it sounds unnatural. Always use the full term 狐狸 to refer to the creature.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
