gaak3 bok3胳膊

Jyutpinggaak3 bok3

Yalegaak bok

名詞Uncommon

Definition

Arm; the part of the body from the shoulder to the wrist.

neutralbody

How it's used

While 胳膊 is understood in Hong Kong, it is considered a loan from Mandarin or Northern dialects. Most native speakers prefer using 手臂 or simply 手 when referring to the arm in daily conversation. Using 胳膊 can sound slightly formal or like a direct translation from Mandarin, so it is less common in casual speech.

Measure word

zek3隻jek

Examples

keoi5佢dit3跌can1親，zing2整soeng1傷zo2咗zek3隻gaak3胳bok3膊。

He fell down and hurt his arm.

nei5你gaak3胳bok3膊tung3痛m4唔tung3痛aa4呀？

Does your arm hurt?

Common phrases

gaak3胳bok3膊tung3痛

arm pain

zing2整soeng1傷gaak3胳bok3膊

to injure one's arm

Common mistake

Learners often use 胳膊 when they mean the hand or the whole limb, but it specifically refers to the section between the shoulder and the wrist. If you want to refer to the entire limb including the hand, it is more natural to use 手.