zaai3 mou6債務债务
Jyutpingzaai3 mou6
Yalejaai mouh
Definition
Debt; the obligation of a debtor to return borrowed funds.
neutralmoney
How it's used
This term is primarily used in formal, legal, or financial contexts rather than casual conversation. When people talk about owing money to friends or family in daily life, they almost always use the verb 欠錢 instead of referring to the abstract concept of debt.
Measure word
hong6項honghExamples
He owes a lot of debt, which gives him a huge headache.
How are you going to handle this debt?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this word to describe simple personal borrowing between friends, as it sounds overly clinical and serious. Use 欠錢 or 爭錢 for everyday situations.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
