daan6 gaa1蜑家
Jyutpingdaan6 gaa1
Yaledaahn gā
Definition
Tanka people, also known as boat people or water people, traditional coastal fishery dwellers in southern China.
colloquialpeople
How it's used
Historically referring to boat-dwelling communities, this term is now considered sensitive or even derogatory by many descendants of these groups. It is often safer and more respectful to use the term 水上人 when discussing these communities. Using the term in casual conversation can easily be perceived as insensitive to the historical marginalization these people faced.
Examples
They were Tanka people in the past and lived on the sea all the time.
Do you know what the characteristics of Tanka culture are?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this term to describe people you do not know well, as it can carry a heavy historical stigma that implies lower social status or exclusion from land-based society.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
