gaai1皆
Jyutpinggaai1
Yalegāai
Definition
All; entirely; each and every.
writtendescriptions
How it's used
Functions almost exclusively as a formal or literary morpheme in modern Cantonese. It is rarely used in casual speech, appearing mostly in set idioms or written descriptions where a concise, elevated tone is required. When you want to express "all" in everyday conversation, use 都 or 全部 instead.
Examples
They are all happy, nobody has any objections.
The products here are all high-quality, very popular.
Related words
Common phrases
everyone is happy
to be in a state of extreme nervousness
Common mistake
Avoid using this in daily spoken sentences as it sounds unnatural and overly dramatic. Beginners often mistake it for a direct replacement for 都, but it lacks the versatility and grammatical flexibility of the latter.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
