Cantonese Word of the Day
借
/JEH/ • verb — 25th of Apr, 2026
Listen to pronunciation
Meaning: to borrow / to lend (to give or take something temporarily)
Examples
- 我向阿明借咗支筆。
(I borrowed a pen from Ah Ming.) - 你可唔可以借我部相機用一陣？
(Could you lend me your camera for a bit?) - 我唔想再借錢俾佢，因為佢未還返上次嗰筆。
(I don't want to lend him money again because he hasn't returned the last loan.)
Synonyms
- 借用
- 租借
In Cantonese, 借 is used both for borrowing and lending; the direction is shown by sentence structure or particles (e.g., 向 X 借 = borrow from X; 借 X 畀/俾我 = lend X to me). Use classifiers with the noun (e.g., 支 for pens 支筆, 部 for cameras 部相機). 借用 is more formal/neutral for 'use temporarily', and 租借 implies renting (usually paid).
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