daan6 gaa1 waa2蜑家話蛋家话
Jyutpingdaan6 gaa1 waa2
Yaledaahn gā wá
Definition
The Tanka dialect of Cantonese, spoken by the Tanka boat people.
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
Refers to the specific linguistic variety historically spoken by boat dwellers along the coast of Southern China. It is increasingly rare as the younger generations of these communities have largely shifted to standard Cantonese. Using this term often evokes a sense of historical identity related to the maritime culture of Hong Kong.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
to speak the Tanka dialect
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with standard Cantonese or other regional dialects like Hakka, as it possesses distinct vocabulary and phonological characteristics specific to the boat-dwelling population.
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.
