Learn five words for school supplies
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| Hi guys! Welcome to Cantonese Weekly Words! Today, we're in Costa Rica and I'm in a hammock. So, let's see what the topic is... |
| 返學嘅用具 (faan1 hok6 ge3 jung6 geoi6) "School supplies" |
| And... kind of sad to talk about school while I'm in Costa Rica, but here we go! |
| The first word is... |
| 1. 筆記簿 (bat1 gei3 bou2) "notebook" |
| 筆(bat1) is "pencil; pen", 記 (gei3) is "to memorize, to remember"; 簿 (bou2) is kinda like "a small book". |
| So 筆記簿 (bat1 gei3 bou2) "notebook". |
| Or sometimes we just shorten it to 簿 (bou2). |
| 畀本簿我吖。 (bei2 bun2 bou2 ngo5 aa1.) “Give me a notebook.” |
| Or, 畀本筆記簿我吖。 (bei2 bun2 bat1 gei3 bou2 ngo5 aa1.) "Give me a notebook." |
| It's also the same. |
| 唔該喺筆記簿度寫低呢啲Notes。 (m4 goi1 hai2 bat1 gei3 bou2 dou6 se2 dai1 ni1 di1 NOTES.) |
| “Please write these notes in your notebook.” |
| So as you heard, "notes" in Cantonese, we usually just say luk1 si2, it's the loanword from English. |
| 2. 書包 (syu1 baau1) "schoolbag" or "backpack" |
| 書 (syu1) is "book" and 包(baau1) is "to surround (it)" or "bag", so the bag for books is 書包 (syu1 baau1), "schoolbag". |
| 我個書包好重呀。 (ngo5 go3 syu1 baau1 hou2 cung5 aa3.) "My schoolbag is very heavy." |
| We used to carry a lot of books and nowadays kids just carry a laptop, I think, from what I heard. So that's better because it won't hurt the kids' back or the spine. |
| Or you can say, |
| 孭太重嘅書包會傷背脊。 (me1 taai3 cung5 ge3 syu1 baau1 wui5 soeng1 bui3 zek3.) |
| “Carrying a backpack that is too heavy can hurt the back.” |
| Next word is... |
| 3. 筆袋 (bat1 doi2) "pencil case" |
| 筆(bat1) as in "pen" and 袋 (doi2) is "bag." So the bag for pen and pencil is "pencil case". |
| 我細個有個Hello Kitty嘅筆袋。 (ngo5 sai3 go3 jau5 go3 HELLO KITTY ge3 bat1 doi2.) "When I was younger, I had a pencil case that had Hello Kitty on it." |
| So if it was a box, a case, we call it 筆盒 (bat1 hap2). |
| If it was a bag, kinda like a bag with zippers, that is 筆袋 (bat1 doi2). |
| 你個筆袋係咩顏色嘅呢？ (nei5 go3 bat1 doi2 hai6 me1 ngaan4 sik1 ge3 ne1?) “What's the colour of your pencil case?” |
| 4. 原子筆 (jyun4 zi2 bat1) "pen" |
| So 筆 (bat1) already means "pen" but 原子筆 (jyun4 zi2 bat1) means "ballpoint pen," the one we usually use. You can just say... |
| 畀支筆我。 (bei2 zi1 bat1 ngo5.) "Give me a pen." |
| Or, 畀支原子筆我。 (bei2 zi1 jyun4 zi2 bat1 ngo5.) “Give me a ballpoint pen.” |
| And it's kinda funny, I don't understand, because 原子(jyun4 zi2) means "atom," like the atom with the electron, neutron, and proton. So "atom" and "pen" makes "ballpoint pen"? Maybe it was a new invention back in the day when it was newly invented. |
| The next word is... |
| 5. 鉛芯筆 (jyun4 sam1 bat1) "mechanical pencil" |
| 鉛 (jyun4) is "lead," 芯 (sam1) is like "the center," "the core." And 筆 (bat1) is "pen" or "pencil.” So anything we write with is called 筆 (bat1). |
| So you just press it until the lead comes out and... |
| "My very first prize that I won from a drawing contest was a mechanical pencil." |
| 我第一次贏嘅獎品係畫畫比賽贏嘅鉛芯筆。 (ngo5 dai6 jat1 ci3 jeng4 ge3 zoeng2 ban2 hai6 waak6 waa2 bei2 coi3 jeng4 ge3 jyun4 sam1 bat1.) |
| Maybe I still have it, I don't know. |
| And, yeah, 鉛芯筆 (jyun4 sam1 bat1) is so much better than 鉛筆 (jyun4 bat1). 鉛筆 (jyun4 bat1) is "pencil," like, the normal pencil that you have to 刨 (paau4) "sharpen" the pencil before you use it. |
| 鉛筆 (jyun4 bat1) is "pencil," and 鉛芯筆 (jyun4 sam1 bat1) is "mechanical pencil". |
| So that's it for today, today we talked about School Supplies, 喺學校用嘅嘢 (hai2 hok6 haau6 jung6 ge3 je5). And I'll see you next time in other Cantonese videos. 下次見 (haa6 ci3 gin3). Bye-bye! See you next time! |
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