zau3縐绉
Jyutpingzau3
Yalejau
Definition
Wrinkled, creased, or puckered.
colloquialclothingdescriptions
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the texture of fabric or paper rather than skin. When describing skin, Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use 皺紋 instead of the single character 縐. It acts as an adjective that often takes the particle 晒 to emphasize the extent of the wrinkling.
Examples
The shirt is all wrinkled, go iron it quickly.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe facial wrinkles, as that requires the noun 皺紋. Using 縐 for skin sounds unnatural and suggests the skin is folded like fabric.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
