zi6 jin4自然

Jyutpingzi6 jin4

Yalejih yìhn

形容詞Very common

Definition

Natural, at ease, and relaxed; not stiff or forced.

natural; occurring in nature; not man-made
at ease; relaxed; free from constraint or stiffness
naturally; of course

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How it's used

Describes a state of being relaxed or unforced, often used to praise someone for not appearing stiff or nervous in social situations. It frequently appears with the adverb 好 or the particle 啲 to emphasize the degree of ease. Unlike its formal usage in written Chinese, in spoken Cantonese it carries a warm, positive connotation of authenticity.

Examples

keoi5佢gong2講je5嘢hou2好zi6自jin4然，jyun4完cyun4全m4唔ci5似bui3背gou2稿。

He speaks very naturally, it doesn't sound like he's reciting a script at all.

nei5你fong3放sung1鬆di1啲，biu2表jin6現dak1得zi6自jin4然di1啲zau6就dak1得㗎gaa2喇。

Relax a bit, just act naturally and you'll be fine.

Common phrases

biu2表jin6現zi6自jin4然

behave naturally

hou2好zi6自jin4然

very natural

Common mistake

Avoid using this to mean "of course" or "naturally" in the sense of "obviously," as that is a common interference from Mandarin. In Cantonese, use 梗係 instead when you want to express that something is a matter of course.