zung1 ji3鐘意钟意
Jyutpingzung1 ji3
Yalejūng yi
Definition
To like, love, or be fond of something or someone.
colloquialemotiondescriptions
How it's used
This is the standard, everyday way to express preference in Cantonese, replacing the formal 喜歡. It functions as a verb and is frequently modified by adverbs like 好 or 幾 to indicate the degree of liking. When asking a question, it is standard to use the A-not-A structure by repeating the verb with 唔 in between.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 喜歡 in casual speech, which sounds overly formal or like reading from a textbook. Stick to 鐘意 for all daily interactions to sound natural.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
