gaa1 zaak6家宅
Jyutpinggaa1 zaak6
Yalegā jaahk
Definition
One's dwelling; used figuratively to refer to one's family and personal background.
colloquialpeoplehome
How it's used
Primarily appears in the set phrase 查家宅, which implies digging into someone's private family history or personal background. It carries a slightly negative or suspicious connotation, often suggesting an intrusive investigation into things that should remain private. Outside of this specific collocation, the term is rarely used in everyday speech to refer to a literal house.
Examples
His background is very complicated, even a thorough check cannot clarify it.
Why do you need to do a background check? It feels quite disrespectful.
Related words
Common phrases
to conduct a background check on a person's family
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 屋企 or 住宅, which are neutral terms for a home. Using 家宅 in casual conversation to describe where you live will sound overly formal or archaic, as if you are speaking in a legal or police context.
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.
