ziu1 jau4焦油
Jyutpingziu1 jau4
Yalejīu yàuh
Definition
Tar; a dark, thick viscous liquid produced by distilling organic matter such as wood, coal, or petroleum.
neutralhealthother
How it's used
Focuses primarily on the byproduct of combustion or distillation rather than the construction material used for paving roads. It is most frequently encountered in health contexts regarding the harmful substances found in cigarette smoke. In industrial or culinary contexts, specific prefixes like 煤 or 木 are almost always added to clarify the source.
Examples
These cigarettes contain a lot of tar.
The doctor says smoking causes tar to accumulate in the lungs.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this word to describe road asphalt or bitumen, which is usually referred to as 瀝青 in Cantonese.
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.
