coi4 fat6財閥财阀
Jyutpingcoi4 fat6
Yalechòih faht
Definition
Conglomerates owned and controlled by wealthy families, particularly in Japan or Korea; zaibatsu.
neutralmoneywork
How it's used
Refers specifically to massive, family-controlled business empires, most commonly associated with the historical Japanese zaibatsu or modern Korean chaebol. It carries a nuance of immense economic power and political influence that goes beyond a standard multinational corporation. Use it when discussing the structural dominance of these entities in East Asian economies.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Behind this company is a major Korean conglomerate.
Do you know which conglomerate acquired them?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe any large company or standard multinational, as it specifically implies a family-controlled conglomerate structure rather than just a large public corporation.
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.
