zyu2主
Jyutpingzyu2
Yalejyú
Definition
Owner; a person who owns someone or something.
neutralpeoplehome
How it's used
While 主 functions as a morpheme meaning owner, it rarely stands alone in spoken Cantonese as a noun for a person. It is almost always attached to another character to form a compound like 物主 or 業主. When referring to the owner of a pet, people often use 主人 instead of just 主.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 主 by itself to mean owner in a casual sentence, as it sounds incomplete or overly formal. Use 業主 for property owners or 主人 for pet owners to sound natural.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
