分鐘
fan1 zung1
The English phrase 'minutes' is translated into Cantonese as 分鐘 (fan1 zung1).
分鐘 is used to refer to units of time equal to sixty seconds.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 分鐘 literally means 'divided clock units', composed of 分 (part/divide) and 鐘 (clock/bell).
Which one should you use?
While 分鐘 is used for the duration of minutes, the single character 分 is used when stating a specific time of day (for example, 5:10) or when referring to a decimal place.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong Cantonese, 分鐘 is the most widely used term for minutes.
How does it change in a sentence?
When specifying a number of minutes, place the number directly before 分鐘. For example, one minute is expressed as 一分鐘.
How do you pronounce it?
fan1 zung1
Did you know?
- The character 鐘 in 分鐘 originally referred to a large bronze bell used to signal the time in ancient China.
- In many Cantonese dialects, the character 分 is also used to denote cents in currency, such as in 'ten cents'.
- The word 分 is also used in Cantonese to describe the 'minutes' of a degree in geography or astronomy.
Examples in context
- 俾幾分鐘時間我。I need a few minutes.This sentence is useful for asking for a few minutes of time using 分鐘.Tatoeba #5373648 by nickyeow, translation #1887573 by CK
- 你隻錶慢咗十分鐘。Your watch is ten minutes slow.This sentence is useful for stating that a watch is ten minutes slow using 分鐘.Tatoeba #617516 by nickyeow, translation #17107 by CN
- 我俾多幾分鐘你啦。I'll give you a couple more minutes.This sentence is useful for offering a couple more minutes using 分鐘.Tatoeba #7066659 by nickyeow, translation #6906117 by CK
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Meiling and Zijian are waiting for a bus.
- 美玲 Mei Ling巴士仲有幾分鐘到？baa1 si3 zung6 jau5 gei2 fan1 zung1 dou3?How many minutes until the bus arrives?
- 子健 Tsz Kin應該大約五分鐘就到。jing1 goi1 daai6 joek3 ng5 fan1 zung1 zau6 dou3.It should be here in about five minutes.
- 美玲 Mei Ling咁快？我以為要等好耐。gam3 faai3? ngo5 ji2 wai4 jiu3 dang2 hou2 noi6.So fast? I thought I would have to wait a long time.
- 子健 Tsz Kin唔係，睇睇個 App 就知。m4 hai6, tai2 tai2 go3 App zau6 zi1.No, just look at the app and you'll know.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
