gau6 jat6舊日旧日
Jyutpinggau6 jat6
Yalegauh yaht
Definition
Former days; the past, usually referring to many years ago.
colloquialtime
How it's used
Evokes a sense of nostalgia and longing for a bygone era, often used when reflecting on how things have changed over time. It carries a more literary or poetic weight compared to the plain 以前, making it suitable for storytelling or sentimental conversation. It is rarely used in strictly professional or technical contexts.
Examples
Life in the old days was really simple.
Do you still remember the happy things from the old days?
Related words
Common phrases
nostalgia for the old days
footprints of the past
Common mistake
Avoid using this to refer to the recent past, such as last week or last month, as it specifically implies a significant passage of time. For recent events, use 之前 or 嗰陣 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
