一萬
jat1 maan6
The Cantonese phrase for "ten thousand" is 一萬 (jat1 maan6).
一萬 is used to denote the number 10,000.
Meaning: 10,000 (num)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the number one (一) and the unit for ten thousand (萬), literally translating to "one ten-thousand".
Which one should you use?
While 一萬 is the standard full form, in casual speech or when writing numbers, the 一 is often omitted, leaving just 萬 to represent ten thousand in certain contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
jat1 maan6
Did you know?
- In ancient Chinese culture, 萬 was associated with the Emperor, as seen in the title '萬歲', which translates to 'ten thousand years' but functions as 'long live the king'.
- In Cantonese, the number ten thousand is the fundamental building block for larger scales, meaning you count by 'ten thousand' instead of 'thousand' as English speakers do.
- The character 萬 is often used in Chinese culture to symbolize an infinite or uncountable amount, rather than just a specific mathematical figure.
Examples in context
- 喺Facebook每一秒都有超過一萬個訊息發出。Over ten thousand messages are sent every second on Facebook.This sentence shows the use of 一萬 when discussing the quantity of messages sent on Facebook.Tatoeba #4826773 by kaenif, translation #1214440 by eastasiastudent
Example conversation
Ka Ming and Mei Ling are talking about a prize.
- 家明 Ka Ming個獎金係一萬蚊呀！go zoeng gam hai jat maan man aa!The prize money is ten thousand dollars!
- 美玲 Mei Ling真係咁多？zan hai gam do?Is it really that much?
- 家明 Ka Ming係，一萬蚊就係咁多。hai, jat maan man zau hai gam do.Yes, ten thousand dollars is exactly this much.
- 美玲 Mei Ling太好喇，我想贏！taai hou la, ngo soeng jeng!Great, I want to win!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
