faan1 dei6番地
Jyutpingfaan1 dei6
Yalefāan deih
Definition
A place where foreigners live, or a foreign country.
datedplaces
How it's used
Historically, this term was used to describe places outside of China, often carrying a colonial or slightly dated nuance. It is rarely heard in modern daily speech, as most people now use 外國 or 外地 to refer to foreign countries or regions. Using this term today can sound archaic or evoke a specific historical context from the early 20th century.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 番薯, which refers to sweet potatoes. The character 番 is often used in older Cantonese to denote things related to foreigners, but it is not a productive prefix for all foreign-related concepts in modern language.
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.
