V+着

Succeed in the Attempt

Level 3Sounds Like zoek6

V + 着 (zoek6) is a resultative marker used with a small set of specific verbs to indicate successful attainment, most notably for falling asleep, igniting something, or bumping into someone.

How It Works

The particle 着 (zoek6) is a resultative complement. While 到 (dou2) is the default marker for successful attainment in Cantonese, 着 (zoek6) is used in specific, fixed contexts.

1. Core Verb Pairings

  • 點 (dim2, to light) + 着: To successfully ignite or light something (e.g., a fire, a lamp).
  • 瞓 (fan3, to sleep) + 着: To successfully fall asleep.
  • 撞 (zong6, to bump) + 着: To run into someone by chance or to coincide with an event.
  • 打 (daa2, to strike) + 着: To strike a light or ignite (e.g., a lighter).
  • 撻 (taat1, to start/flick) + 着: To successfully start an engine or machine (e.g., 撻着架車 taat1 zoek6 gaa3 ce1), or metaphorically to spark a romance.
  • 焫 (naat3, to scald) + 着: To successfully trigger someone's anger (e.g., 焫着佢 naat3 zoek6 keoi5).

2. Coincidental Encounters
着 (zoek6) is also commonly used to indicate a coincidence ('happening to' or 'ending up'). This can be positive, negative, or neutral depending on the context:

  • 遇 (jyu6, to meet) + 着: To happen to encounter someone or something (e.g., 遇着好人 jyu6 zoek6 hou2 jan4 - happened to meet a good person).
  • 買 (maai5, to buy) + 着: To happen to buy something (often with an unexpected result).
  • 啱啱遇着剛剛 (ngaam1 ngaam1 jyu6 zoek6 gong1 gong1): A common idiom meaning 'just happened to coincide'.

3. Potential Form
This pattern is very frequently used in the potential construction:

  • V + 得 + 着 (dak1 zoek6): Can manage to attain the result.
  • V + 唔 + 着 (m4 zoek6): Cannot manage to attain the result.

Examples:

  • 瞓唔着 (fan3 m4 zoek6) specifically means 'cannot fall asleep'. Note that 'cannot find' is 搵唔到 (wan2 m4 dou2), not 搵唔着.
  • 用得着 (jung6 dak1 zoek6) means 'useful' or 'will come in handy'.
  • 用唔着 (jung6 m4 zoek6) means 'not useful' or 'won't be needed'.

4. Being in the Wrong
A very common fixed usage is 唔着 (m4 zoek6), which means 'in the wrong' or 'at fault'. For example, 係我唔着 (hai6 ngo5 m4 zoek6) means 'It's my fault'.

5. Character and Tone Warning
The character 着/著 is a 'polyphone' with several distinct uses:

  • zoek6 (tone 6): Resultative marker for attainment (this pattern). It is also used in 着數 (zoek6 sou3) meaning 'advantageous' or 'a good deal'.
  • zoek3 (tone 3): To wear or put on clothes (e.g., 着衫 zoek3 saam1).

Note: Do not confuse this with the durative marker 住 (zyu6). While Mandarin uses the character 着 (zhe) for the durative aspect, Cantonese uses the completely different character 住 (zyu6).

Examples (4)

  1. 我今日喺街撞着佢。

    I ran into him on the street today.

    Word by Word: I today at street bump [attain] him.

    撞着 (zong6 zoek6) is a very common native expression meaning to run into someone by chance.

  2. 飲咗咖啡之後，我驚我今晚瞓唔着。

    After drinking coffee, I'm afraid I won't be able to fall asleep tonight.

    Word by Word: Drink [perfective] coffee after, I fear I tonight sleep not [attain].

    瞓唔着 (fan3 m4 zoek6) is the standard way to say 'cannot fall asleep' in Cantonese, focusing on the transition to sleep.

  3. 點解個爐點唔着㗎？

    Why won't the stove light?

    Word by Word: Why [classifier] stove light not [attain] [particle]?

    點着 (dim2 zoek6) is the primary way to express lighting or igniting something like a stove, candle, or cigarette.

  4. 佢終於瞓着咗喇。

    He finally fell asleep.

    Word by Word: He finally sleep [attain] [perfective] [change of state].

    Note that 着 (zoek6) indicates the result (falling asleep), while 咗 (zo2) indicates the action is completed.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'zoek6' to mean 'cannot find' (a Mandarinism).

    我搵唔着嗰條鎖匙 (ngo5 wan2 m4 zoek6 go2 tiu4 so2 si4)
    我搵唔到嗰條鎖匙 (ngo5 wan2 m4 dou2 go2 tiu4 so2 si4)

    While Mandarin uses 'zhǎo bù zháo', Cantonese speakers use 搵唔到 (wan2 m4 dou2) to say they cannot find something. Using 着 (zoek6) here sounds unnatural.

  • Confusing 'zoek6' with other pronunciations or the continuous state marker.

    我着 (zoek6) 衫 (ngo5 zoek6 saam1)
    我着 (zoek3) 衫 (ngo5 zoek3 saam1)

    The character 着 has multiple readings in Cantonese, such as zoek6 for attainment and zoek3 for 'to wear' clothes. However, do not confuse it with the continuous state marker. While Mandarin uses the character 着 (zhe) for continuous states, Cantonese uses a completely different character, 住 (zyu6).

  • Using 'zoek6' for adverse physical effects like catching a cold (a Mandarinism).

    我尋晚凍着咗 (ngo5 cam4 maan5 dung3 zoek6 zo2)
    我尋晚凍親 (ngo5 cam4 maan5 dung3 can1)

    In Mandarin, 'zháo' is used for catching a cold (e.g., 凍着). In Cantonese, adverse physical effects use the particle 親 (can1). You should say 凍親 (dung3 can1) or 攝親 (sip3 can1) instead of using 着 (zoek6).

How It Connects

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

V+着Level 3Succeed in the Attempt

Learn This First

The pattern 'V+着' (zoek6) is a resultative complement indicating success in an attempt (like falling asleep or catching something). To understand it, you need to be familiar with how Cantonese uses verbal particles to show results and how these compounds are negated using the potential form (V-唔-Result).