zi1知
Jyutpingzi1
Yalejī
Definition
Knowledge, learning, or understanding of the world.
writtenother
How it's used
As a standalone noun, this character is rarely used in modern spoken Cantonese to mean knowledge or wisdom. It is almost exclusively found as a bound morpheme in compound words like 無知 or 先知. When expressing the concept of having knowledge, speakers prefer using phrases like 有學識 or 識嘢.
Examples
He reads a lot, he is really knowledgeable.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often try to use this as a direct translation for the English noun knowledge, but it sounds unnatural or overly literary in daily speech. Always use 識嘢 when describing someone who is knowledgeable or savvy.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
