靚仔
leng zai
The Cantonese phrase for "handsome man" is 靚仔 (leng zai).
靚仔 is used to describe a man who is physically attractive. Beyond this description, it is also frequently used as a casual vocative to address a young man, similar to saying "hey handsome" or "young man".
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of the adjective 靚 (leng), meaning "beautiful" or "pretty" and the noun 仔 (zai), meaning "boy" or "son".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
靚仔 is the common spoken term.
How do you pronounce it?
leng zai
Did you know?
- A woman might refer to herself as a 靚仔 in very specific slang contexts to describe a 'tomboy' or 'handsome woman' aesthetic.
- The word 靚 is part of a larger family of adjectives that can describe both high-quality food and aesthetic beauty, meaning a 'beautiful' dish and a 'handsome' man share the same root concept.
- While 靚 generally means 'beautiful' or 'pretty', using it for men in Cantonese is standard, whereas in Mandarin, 'beautiful' is rarely used for men.
Examples in context
- 蕾拉鍾意咗一個靚仔，仲同佢結埋婚。Layla fell in love with a handsome man and got married.This sentence shows how 靚仔 can be used to describe someone a person fell in love with.Tatoeba #6108647 by nickyeow, translation #6103810 by OsoHombre
- 你好靚仔喎You are so handsome!
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a new colleague.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan你見過新同事未？佢好靚仔呀！nei5 gin3 gwo3 san1 tung4 si6 mei6? keoi5 hou2 leng3 zai2 aa3!Have you seen the new colleague yet? He is very handsome!
- 子健 Tsz Kin係喎，我頭先見到佢。hai6 wo3, ngo5 tau4 sin1 gin3 dou2 keoi5.Yes, I saw him just now.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan你覺得佢似唔似韓國藝人？nei5 gok3 dak1 keoi5 ci5 m4 ci5 hon3 gwok3 ji6 jan4?Do you think he looks like a Korean artist?
- 子健 Tsz Kin好似，佢個樣真係好靚仔。hou2 ci5, keoi5 go3 joeng2 zan1 hai6 hou2 leng3 zai2.He does, his face is really handsome.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
