gaa1 jan4 gung1加人工

Jyutpinggaa1 jan4 gung1

Yalegā yàhn gūng

Definition

To get a raise; to increase somebody's salary.

colloquialworkmoney

How it's used

This phrase is the standard way to talk about a pay rise in professional and casual settings. It is a verb-object construction where 人工 functions as the object, so you can insert particles like 咗 or 緊 directly after 加. It is much more common than formal terms like 加薪 in everyday workplace gossip or negotiations.

Examples

nei5你gam1今nin4年jau5有mou5冇gaa1加jan4人gung1工aa4呀？

Did you get a salary raise this year?

ngo5我soeng2想tung4同lou5老sai3細king1傾gaa1加jan4人gung1工。

I want to talk to my boss about a salary raise.

Common phrases

jiu1要kau4求gaa1加jan4人gung1工

to request a salary raise

sing4成gung1功gaa1加jan4人gung1工

to successfully get a salary raise

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with 加人, which means to add more people to a team or a group. Always include the word 工 to ensure you are talking about salary rather than headcount.