daan6 gou1蛋糕
Jyutpingdaan6 gou1
Yaledaahn gōu
Definition
Cake; a sweet baked dessert made from eggs, flour, and sugar, often topped with cream or fruit.
colloquialfood
How it's used
Refers specifically to Western style baked goods, distinguishing it from traditional Chinese steamed cakes like 馬拉糕. While it is a loan translation, it has become the standard term for all types of sweet, spongy desserts, including those made with cream or fruit. It is very common to use the classifier 件 for a slice or individual serving, while 個 is reserved for a whole cake.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Today is your birthday, let's buy a cake to celebrate.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 餅, which is a broader term for cookies, biscuits, or various pastries. If you just say 餅, people might expect something crunchy or savory rather than a soft, sweet sponge cake.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
