gaan2 daan1簡單简单
Jyutpinggaan2 daan1
Yalegáan dāan
Definition
Simple, straightforward, and uncomplicated.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Often used with the particle 啫 to downplay the difficulty of a task, suggesting that something is straightforward or trivial. It frequently appears in the phrase 簡單嚟講 when someone wants to summarize a complex situation into a few key points.
Examples
This matter is actually quite simple.
Do you have a simpler way?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using it to describe people as simple-minded, as that can be interpreted as an insult implying someone is foolish or naive. Use 單純 instead if you want to describe someone as innocent or pure-hearted.
Grammar color guide
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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.
