gaan1 gaan1間間间间
Jyutpinggaan1 gaan1
Yalegāan gāan
Definition
Every single; each and every (specifically for houses, shops, classrooms, or other buildings).
colloquialplaces
How it's used
Reduplication of the measure word 間 creates a distributive meaning, emphasizing that every single instance of the noun is included. It is almost exclusively used with nouns that take 間 as their classifier, such as 舖頭, 餐廳, or 屋. Using it adds a sense of thoroughness or totality that a simple 每 would lack in spoken Cantonese.
Examples
Every shop on this street is very expensive.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this for nouns that do not take the classifier 間. For example, you cannot say 間間人 to mean every person, as the classifier for people is 個.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
