一半
jat¹ bun³
In Cantonese, 'half' can be expressed as 一半 (jat¹ bun³). Wiktionary also lists 半 (bun³).
Meaning: one of two roughly equal parts into which anything may be divided (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 一半 | jat¹ bun³ |
| 半 | bun³ |
The term refers to one of two roughly equal parts into which something is divided. You can use the single character 半 as a prefix to indicate a half-unit of time or quantity, such as 'half an hour'.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 一半 is composed of 一 (one) and 半 (half), literally meaning 'one half'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 'half' with a classifier or measure word, the character 半 is often used directly before that measure word, such as in 半個 (half a/half of a).
How do you pronounce it?
jat¹ bun³
Did you know?
- In certain Cantonese slang contexts, saying someone is 半桶水 (half a bucket of water) describes a person who has only a superficial or mediocre understanding of a subject.
- While 一半 is the standard for 'one half', if you want to describe something as being 'partially' or 'halfway' through a process, you often use the term 中途, which literally means 'middle road'.
- If you are describing a person who is 'half-Chinese' or of mixed heritage, the term 半 is used, but it is more common in social contexts to use the term 混血 (mixed blood).
Examples in context
- 佢哋早咗半個鐘到。They arrived half an hour early.This sentence shows how to use 半 to indicate half an hour.Tatoeba #5733450 by nickyeow, translation #2259531 by _undertoad
- 因為冇得俾零粒星，所以我先俾半粒咋。I'm only giving this half a star because zero stars isn't an option.This sentence uses 半 to express giving half a star.Tatoeba #7022352 by nickyeow, translation #7022350 by nickyeow
- 佢去到個火車站嗰陣，班火車已經走咗差唔多半粒鐘。When he reached the station, the train had already left almost half an hour before.This sentence demonstrates using 半 to describe a period of time nearly half an hour.Tatoeba #459993 by nickyeow, translation #283403 by CK
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are sharing a cake.
- 志強 Chi Keung呢個蛋糕好大，我哋分一半啦。ni go dou gou hou daai, ngo dei fan jat bun laa.This cake is very big, let's split it in half.
- 美玲 Mei Ling好啊，你分俾我一半。hou aa, nei fan bei ngo jat bun.Okay, give me half.
- 志強 Chi Keung你想要邊一半？nei soeng jiu bin jat bun?Which half do you want?
- 美玲 Mei Ling邊一半都得，謝謝志強。bin jat bun dou dak, ze se zi koeng.Either half is fine, thank you, Zhiqiang.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “half” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
