gip3 / keoi1抾
Jyutpinggip3 / keoi1
Yalegip / kēui
Definition
To pick up or gather; to rescue.
colloquialdaily actions
How it's used
Primarily used in spoken Cantonese to describe the act of picking something up from the ground or a surface. It is often paired with directional particles like 返 to indicate returning an object to a proper place or position. While it shares the meaning of picking up with 執, 抾 is specifically focused on the physical action of retrieving something from a lower level.
Examples
If there is money on the floor, will you pick it up?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 抾 with 執, but 執 is much more versatile and can also mean to tidy up or organize, whereas 抾 is strictly limited to the act of picking something up.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
