句號
geoi3 hou6
The Cantonese word for 'period' is 句號 (geoi3 hou6).
句號 refers to the punctuation mark used to end a sentence. While it refers to the punctuation mark, it is also worth noting that the slang term 收工 can be used metaphorically to mean 'that's it' or 'end of story' to signal the conclusion of a matter.
Meaning: interval of time (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
句號 is composed of 句, meaning 'sentence' and 號, meaning 'mark' or 'sign'.
How do you pronounce it?
geoi3 hou6
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, the punctuation mark 句號 is traditionally written as a small circle, rather than the solid dot used in English.
- When texting, some Cantonese speakers omit the 句號 entirely to avoid sounding too formal or aggressive, as a full stop can imply a cold tone.
- If you want to say 'period' in the sense of 'end of discussion' to be very assertive, you might use the phrase 到此為止 instead of the punctuation term.
Examples in context
- 句尾要有句號。There needs to be a period at the end of a sentence.This sentence is useful for learning where to place a 句號 in a sentence.Tatoeba #7999709 by nickyeow, translation #3970689 by AlanF_US
Example conversation
Jun Kit and Mei Ling are reviewing a written assignment together.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit美玲，呢度應該要加個句號。Mei Ling, nei1 dou6 jing1 goi1 jiu3 gaa1 go3 gey3 hou6.Mei Ling, a period should be added here.
- 美玲 Mei Ling唔好意思，我唔小心漏咗。m4 hou2 ji3 si1, ngo5 m4 siu2 sam1 lau6 zo2.Sorry, I accidentally missed it.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit冇問題，改咗個句號就啱喇。mou5 man6 tai4, goi2 zo2 go3 gey3 hou6 zau6 aam1 laa3.No problem, it's correct once the period is changed.
- 美玲 Mei Ling多謝你幫我睇。do1 ze6 nei5 bong1 ngo5 tai2.Thank you for helping me check.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
