zau3晝昼
Jyutpingzau3
Yalejau
Definition
Daytime; day as opposed to night.
neutraltime
How it's used
While 晝 is a standard character for daytime, it is rarely used as a standalone noun in spoken Cantonese. Instead, speakers almost exclusively use 日頭 to refer to the daytime period. You will mostly encounter 晝 in formal compound words or specific idiomatic expressions like 晝夜.
Examples
He plays video games all day and all night.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using 晝 as a direct substitute for 日頭 in casual conversation, as it sounds overly literary or like a Mandarin loanword. Use 日頭 for everyday speech and reserve 晝 for written contexts or fixed phrases.
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.
