gaan1奸
Jyutpinggaan1
Yalegāan
Definition
A traitor who betrays their own people or organization to collude with the enemy.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Beyond the political sense of a traitor, this character is frequently used as an adjective to describe someone who is cunning, sly, or underhanded in their dealings. It carries a strong negative moral judgment, suggesting that the person acts in their own interest at the expense of others. When used as a noun, it often appears in compound words like 漢奸 or 奸商 to specify the type of betrayal or deceit involved.
Examples
He is so treacherous, who would dare to trust him?
This kind of person is simply a traitor, they are truly detestable.
Related words
Common phrases
traitor to the Chinese people
unscrupulous merchant
treacherous plot
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage where it can sometimes imply sexual deviance or lewdness, as the Cantonese usage focuses primarily on betrayal, cunning, and malicious intent.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
