zou2 caan2早產早产
Jyutpingzou2 caan2
Yalejóu cháan
Definition
Premature birth or delivery before 37 weeks of gestation.
neutralhealthfamily
How it's used
While often used as a verb to describe the act of giving birth early, it is equally common to use it as an adjective to describe the baby or the condition itself. It is a clinical term but frequently used in casual conversation when discussing pregnancy health or birth stories. It specifically refers to the medical timeline of the pregnancy rather than just being born ahead of a predicted date.
Examples
Her son was born a few weeks premature.
The doctor said she has a risk of premature birth.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with just being born early in a casual sense, like arriving at a party ahead of schedule. It is strictly reserved for medical contexts involving pregnancy and childbirth.
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.
