Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

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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