gim3 laan4劍蘭剑兰
Jyutpinggim3 laan4
Yalegim làahn
Definition
Gladiolus; a garden plant with a long, sword-like stem of brightly coloured flowers.
colloquialnaturefestival
How it's used
Associated strongly with the Lunar New Year, this flower is a staple in Hong Kong households during the festive season. It is believed to bring good luck and career advancement, as the name implies rising upwards like a sword. People often buy them in large bundles to decorate the living room.
Measure word
zi1枝jīExamples
We usually put some gladioli in the house during the Lunar New Year.
Related words
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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).
