gaau3窖
Jyutpinggaau3
Yalegaau
Definition
A cellar, pit, or underground room used for storing things.
neutralplaceshome
How it's used
Functions primarily as a bound morpheme in modern Cantonese rather than a standalone noun. It appears almost exclusively in compound words related to storage or preservation. You will rarely hear it used outside of specific technical or architectural contexts like wine or vegetable storage.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
This place used to be a wine cellar.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the common word 坑 which refers to a simple hole or ditch in the ground. 窖 implies a specialized, often enclosed or underground structure designed specifically for preservation.
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.
