gaa1 mun4家門家门
Jyutpinggaa1 mun4
Yalegā mùhn
Definition
One's family or the gate of a house.
- family; family lineage
- the front door or gate of a home
neutralfamilypeople
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the reputation or collective standing of a family rather than the physical household unit. It often appears in idioms or formal expressions regarding family honor or disgrace. Using it to refer to a literal front door is archaic and rarely encountered in modern speech.
Examples
He always says it is a family misfortune and does not want to mention home affairs.
You doing these shameful things really brings disgrace to the family.
Related words
Common phrases
a family misfortune
to bring disgrace to the family
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 屋企, which is the standard, neutral term for home or family. Using 家門 in casual conversation to describe your own house will sound overly dramatic or like you are reciting a period drama script.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
