gaan2柬
Jyutpinggaan2
Yalegáan
Definition
An invitation card or letter.
writtencommunication
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively used in formal compounds rather than as a standalone noun in daily speech. While it refers to a letter or invitation, you will rarely hear someone call a regular letter a 柬. It is reserved for formal social or official correspondence, particularly invitations to weddings or ceremonies.
Measure word
zoeng1張jēungExamples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this as a general word for any letter or mail. Remember that 信 is the standard, everyday word for a letter, whereas 柬 carries a formal or traditional weight that makes it sound unnatural in casual contexts.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
