zung1 tau4鐘頭钟头
Jyutpingzung1 tau4
Yalejūng tàuh
Definition
Hour; a unit of time equal to sixty minutes.
colloquialtime
How it's used
鐘頭 is the standard way to express duration in hours during spoken Cantonese, whereas 小時 is almost exclusively reserved for written contexts or formal announcements. While you can use 鐘 as a shortened version of 鐘頭, it is often dropped entirely when the context is clear, such as saying 兩個鐘 instead of 兩個鐘頭.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
I have been waiting for him for two whole hours.
How many more hours do you need to get this done?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 小時 in casual conversation, which sounds overly formal or like reading from a textbook. Stick to 鐘頭 or the shorter 鐘 to sound natural.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- NegationHow to say no, not, didn't, and don't in Cantonese. The four main negation words and when to use each one.
- Numbers and moneyCounting, talking about money, and asking how much things cost. Includes the two words for two and the everyday words for dollars and cents.
- 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.
