How to Write 粤 (yuè) — Meaning “Cantonese; short name for Guangdong”

Imagine a person in Guangdong shouting "Yue!" with a big mouth (口) while holding a bowl of rice (米). The short stroke on top is like a chef's hat, reminding you of Cantonese cuisine. This image ties the character's shape to its meaning of Cantonese culture.

Start by writing the top left-falling stroke, then the mouth (口) as a small square, and finally the rice radical (米) below. A common mistake is making the mouth too large or forgetting the first stroke, so keep the mouth narrow and centered. The rice should be wider than the mouth, with its vertical stroke aligned with the center.

All three share the rice radical (米), but 粤 has a unique top part with a stroke and a mouth, while 粉 has 分 (divide) on the right and 粑 has 巴 (bar) on the right. Visually, 粤 looks like a mouth over rice, whereas 粉 and 粑 have simpler right-side components. In meaning, 粤 refers to Guangdong or Cantonese, while 粉 means powder and 粑 means a cake.

粤 is used as a short name for Guangdong province and in terms like 粤语 (Cantonese language) and 粤菜 (Cantonese cuisine). It also appears in 粤港澳, referring to the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Culturally, Cantonese is a major dialect with a rich tradition, and Cantonese dishes like dim sum are famous worldwide.

Common words containing 粤 include: 粤语 (yuè yǔ) — Cantonese language; 粤菜 (yuè cài) — Cantonese cuisine; 粤港澳 (yuè gǎng ào) — Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao.