zaa3 maang5蚱蜢
Jyutpingzaa3 maang5
Yaleja máahng
Definition
Grasshopper; a plant-eating insect with long hind legs for leaping.
colloquialanimalsnature
How it's used
While 蚱蜢 is the standard term, most Hong Kongers prefer using 草蜢 in daily speech. The term 蝗蟲 is often reserved for when they appear in swarms and threaten crops, carrying a more negative connotation. You will rarely hear people use the formal 蚱蜢 unless they are reading a textbook or talking about biology.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
There is a grasshopper jumping around in the bushes.
Did you ever catch grasshoppers when you were a kid?
Related words
Common phrases
catch grasshoppers
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the band name 草蜢, which is a famous Cantopop group. Using 蚱蜢 to refer to the band would sound very strange and overly formal.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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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).
