gam2敢
Jyutpinggam2
Yalegám
Definition
To dare; to be brave enough to do something.
colloquialdaily actionsdescriptions
How it's used
Expressing courage or boldness often involves the phrase 夠膽, which functions as a more natural, colloquial alternative to 敢 in everyday speech. While 敢 is perfectly acceptable, it can sound slightly more formal or emphatic depending on the sentence structure. Using 夠膽 allows for a more casual flow when discussing personal limits or challenges.
Examples
Do you dare to travel alone?
Related words
Common phrases
I dare not accept (a compliment/praise)
daring and resolute
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 敢 in contexts where they mean 'to be able to' or 'to have the capacity for', but it strictly refers to the lack of fear or the possession of enough nerve to perform an action. If you mean you lack the physical ability rather than the courage, use 識 or 能夠 instead.
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.
