zuk1 kau4足球
Jyutpingzuk1 kau4
Yalejūk kàuh
Definition
Soccer or association football; also the ball used in the game.
- the sport of soccer or association football
- a football (the ball used in the game)
colloquialsports
How it's used
People in Hong Kong almost always refer to the sport simply as 波. Using 足球 is perfectly correct in formal contexts or when clarifying the specific sport, but in casual conversation, you will sound more natural saying 踢波 or 睇波.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Are you interested in going to play football together tomorrow night?
He really likes watching football and is always staying up late to watch matches.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse the sport name 足球 with the ball itself, which is also called 波. While 足球 specifically means soccer, the word 波 is a generic term for any ball or ball game, so context is essential to distinguish between playing football and playing basketball.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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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.
