baak3百
Jyutpingbaak3
Yalebaak
Definition
One hundred, or the hundreds place in a number.
Example
neutralnumbers
How it's used
When referring to numbers between one hundred and one hundred ninety-nine, Cantonese speakers often use 百一, 百二, or 百三 instead of the more formal 一百一十 or 一百三十. This shorthand is extremely common in daily life, especially when discussing prices or time. Note that 百 is a number and does not take a measure word itself, though it functions as a multiplier for nouns.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly add a measure word like 個 directly after 百, such as saying 百個人. In Cantonese, you should say 幾百人 or 一百個人, omitting the classifier when 百 acts as a pure number, or using it only when the noun requires a specific classifier.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
