gaai1階阶
Jyutpinggaai1
Yalegāai
Definition
A step in a staircase.
neutralplaces
How it's used
While 階 is a common morpheme in formal or literary compounds like 階梯, it is rarely used as a standalone noun in spoken Cantonese. Native speakers almost exclusively use 梯級 or 樓梯 to refer to stairs in daily life. Using 階 alone to mean stairs will sound unnatural or overly poetic to local ears.
Examples
Walk slower, the stairs here are very steep.
He fell down the stairs, luckily he is fine.
Related words
Common phrases
stairs or ladder
Common mistake
Do not confuse 階 with 梯. While 階 appears in 階梯, 梯 is the more versatile character for describing climbing or stairs, such as in 樓梯 or 梯級.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
