gai1 gung1雞公鸡公
Jyutpinggai1 gung1
Yalegāi gūng
Definition
Rooster; a male chicken.
colloquialanimalsfood
How it's used
Refers specifically to a male chicken, whereas the general term for chicken is 雞. It is frequently used in cultural contexts, most notably in the iconic 雞公碗, which is a traditional ceramic bowl featuring a hand-painted rooster that symbolizes prosperity and hard work.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
The rooster is crowing very loudly.
Do you see where that rooster is?
Related words
Common phrases
rooster bowl
Common mistake
Avoid using this to refer to a hen, which is called 雞乸. Using 雞公 for a female chicken is a common mistake that sounds quite unnatural to native speakers.
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.
