gan1巾
Jyutpinggan1
Yalegān
Definition
A piece of cloth or other material used for wiping, wrapping, or covering.
colloquialhomedaily actions
How it's used
Functions primarily as a bound morpheme in modern Cantonese rather than a standalone noun. It appears as a suffix in various household items made of fabric. When referring to a generic piece of cloth, speakers prefer using 布 instead.
Measure word
tiu4條tìuhExamples
tiu4 mou4 gan1 sap1 saai3 lo2 heoi3 long6 laa1
條毛巾濕晒，攞去晾啦。
The towel is all wet, go hang it up.
nei5 gin3 m4 gin3 dou3 ngo5 tiu4 mut3 sau2 gan1 aa4
你見唔見到我條抹手巾呀？
Have you seen my hand towel?
Related words
Common phrases
mou4 gan1
毛巾
towel
tau4 gan1
頭巾
headscarf
sau2 gan1
手巾
handkerchief
Common mistake
Learners often try to use it as a standalone word for towel, but it must be combined with a prefix like 毛 to be understood correctly.
Tone guide
T1High level
T2High rising
T3Mid level
T4Low falling
T5Low rising
T6Low level
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
