zat6 zai2姪仔侄仔
Jyutpingzat6 zai2
Yalejaht jái
Definition
Nephew; specifically a woman's brother's son, or a man's brother-in-law's son.
colloquialfamilypeople
How it's used
Cantonese kinship terms are highly specific compared to English. While English uses nephew for both brother's and sister's sons, Cantonese distinguishes between 姪仔 for a brother's son and 外甥 for a sister's son. Using the wrong term can be confusing as it signals which side of the family the child belongs to.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
My nephew is very well-behaved and always helps with chores.
When will you bring your nephew out to play?
Related words
Common phrases
biological nephew
Common mistake
Do not use 姪仔 for your sister's son, as that is strictly reserved for 外甥. Also, remember that 姪仔 specifically refers to a male child; use 姪女 for a niece.
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).
