fong3 gung1放工
Jyutpingfong3 gung1
Yalefong gūng
Definition
To finish work, leave work, or be done for the day.
Example
colloquialworktime
How it's used
Refers specifically to the act of leaving the workplace at the end of a shift, rather than the general concept of finishing a task. It is the standard term used in daily life, whereas more formal terms like 下班 are rarely heard in spoken Cantonese. It is common to use the aspect marker 咗 to indicate that the action of leaving has already occurred.
Examples
What time are you finishing work today?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 做完, which means to finish a specific task or project. You can finish a task but still be at the office, whereas 放工 implies you are physically leaving or are done for the day.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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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).
