gaam1 juk6監獄监狱
Jyutpinggaam1 juk6
Yalegāam yuhk
Definition
Prison; jail; a secure facility used to confine criminals and deprive them of their liberty.
neutralplaces
How it's used
While 監獄 is the standard term for a prison, local speakers often use the more colloquial term 監躉 or simply say 坐監 to refer to the act of being imprisoned. The term carries a heavy, serious tone and is rarely used in casual conversation unless discussing legal matters or crime news.
Measure word
gaan1間gānExamples
He broke the law and ended up having to serve a few years in prison.
Do you know where this prison is located?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse the noun 監獄 with the verb phrase 坐監. Remember that 監獄 is the physical place, whereas 坐監 is the action of serving a sentence.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
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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.
