支

Classifier for Cylindrical Things

Level 2Sounds Like zi1

Use 支 (zi1) for objects that are long, cylindrical, or stick-like. It is also the primary classifier for bottled drinks and firearms.

How It Works

支 (zi1) is one of the most common classifiers in Cantonese. Its usage can be broken down into several main categories:

  • Physical Objects: It is the standard measure word for long, cylindrical, or stick-like items. Common examples include 筆 (bat1, pen), 煙 (jin1, cigarette), 蠟燭 (laap6 zuk1, candle), 笛 (dek6, flute), 牙膏 (ngaa4 gou1, toothpaste), 唇膏 (seon4 gou1, lipstick), 香 (hoeng1, incense sticks), 旗 (kei4, flag), and 光管 (gwong1 gun2, fluorescent light tube). Note that in modern Hong Kong curricula, 一支筆 is explicitly taught as the correct standard for rod-like objects, reserving 枝 for things with actual branches or leaves. However, because 支 and 枝 were historically interchangeable, learners will still frequently encounter "一枝筆" in older texts and everyday writing. This is an orthographic standardization rather than a spoken difference. It is also the standard colloquial classifier for camera lenses in modern Cantonese (e.g., 一支鏡頭 / 一支鏡, jat1 zi1 geng3 tau4).
  • Bottles and Bottled Drinks: 支 (zi1) classifies the physical bottle itself (e.g., 幾支空樽, gei2 zi1 hung1 zeon1, several empty bottles), which is exactly why it is used to count bottled drinks like 一支水 (jat1 zi1 seoi2, a bottle of water) or 一支啤酒 (jat1 zi1 be1 zau2, a bottle of beer). Note that 樽 (zeon1) is also a perfectly natural classifier for bottles (e.g., 一樽水). While there is a technical nuance—樽 measures the volume or contents (a bottleful), whereas 支 measures the physical container itself—in everyday colloquial Cantonese, 一支水 and 一樽水 are used completely interchangeably. If the drink is in a cup, you use 杯 (bui1); if it is in a carton or packet, you would use 盒 (hap6) or 包 (baau1).
  • Needles and Instruments: It is used for needles and injections, such as 一支針 (jat1 zi1 zam1, a needle) or 打支針 (daa2 zi1 zam1, to get an injection), as well as stringed instruments with long necks like 一支結他 (jat1 zi1 git3 taa1, a guitar), though 把 (baa2) is also an extremely common and traditional classifier for guitars.
  • Weapons: It is the primary classifier for firearms and long weapons, such as 一支槍 (jat1 zi1 coeng1, a gun) or 一支矛 (jat1 zi1 maau4, a spear).
  • Plants: For plants, such as a single flower with its stem (一枝花, jat1 zi1 faa1) or a single branch, the character 枝 (zi1) with the wood radical is the correct standard, while 支 is the standard for other rod-like objects. Contrast this with 朵 (do2), which is used for the flower blossom or head itself, whereas 枝 emphasizes the long stem.
  • Abstract Nouns and Idioms: It is a primary classifier for organized groups of people, such as sports teams (一支球隊, jat1 zi1 kau4 deoi2) and military troops (一支軍隊, jat1 zi1 gwan1 deoi6). It is also a standard classifier for songs and melodies (一支歌, jat1 zi1 go1; 一支曲, jat1 zi1 kuk1), and appears in the fixed colloquial phrase 一支歌仔 (jat1 zi1 go1 zai2), as in 冇呢支歌仔唱 (mou5 ni1 zi1 go1 zai2 coeng3 - 'those good old days are gone'). Other highly common Cantonese idioms and colloquialisms include 一支公 (jat1 zi1 gung1 - a single guy / all alone), and 一支箭噉 (jat1 zi1 zin3 gam2 - darting off like an arrow / really fast).

When counting, it follows the Number + Classifier + Noun structure.

Examples (5)

  1. 呢支筆冇墨水喇。

    This pen has run out of ink.

    Word by Word: This [classifier] pen not-have ink [particle].

    Here, 支 (zi1) is used for a pen, which is a classic long, cylindrical object.

  2. 唔該畀一支水我。

    Please give me a bottle of water.

    Word by Word: Please give one [classifier] water me.

    In Cantonese, 支 (zi1) is the standard classifier for bottled drinks like water (seoi2) or beer (be1 zau2).

  3. 佢啱啱點咗一支煙。

    He just lit a cigarette.

    Word by Word: He just-now light [perfective] one [classifier] cigarette.

    Cigarettes (jin1) are cylindrical and stick-like, taking the classifier 支 (zi1).

  4. 佢買咗一支新結他。

    He bought a new guitar.

    Word by Word: He buy [perfective] one [classifier] new guitar.

    Stringed instruments with long necks, like a guitar (git3 taa1), often use the classifier 支 (zi1).

  5. 差人揸住一支槍。

    The police officer is holding a gun.

    Word by Word: Police hold [durative] one [classifier] gun.

    Firearms like guns (coeng1) are categorized under 支 (zi1) because of their long, cylindrical shape.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 支 (zi1) for flexible long objects.

    呢支繩好長。
    呢條繩好長。

    A rope (繩 sing4) is flexible. For long, flexible things, you must use 條 (tiu4).

  • Using 支 (zi1) for objects with handles.

    我有一支遮。
    我有一把遮。

    Even though an umbrella (遮 ze1) is long and rigid when closed, it is classified by its handle using 把 (baa2).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

支Level 2Classifier for Cylindrical Things

Learn This First

To understand '支', you first need to understand how classifiers function in Cantonese noun phrases. You should be familiar with the basic counting structure (Number + Classifier + Noun) and have already learned the general classifier '個' to appreciate how '支' specifies the shape of the object (cylindrical or stick-like).

Words in This Pattern

支