gu1 daan1孤單孤单

Jyutpinggu1 daan1

Yalegū dāan

形容詞Common

Definition

Alone; lonely; being by oneself without others around.

colloquialemotionpeople

How it's used

Focuses on the state of being without company or feeling isolated from others. It is often used to describe a person's emotional state or living situation, whereas the related term 寂寞 emphasizes the internal feeling of emptiness or boredom. While 孤單 can be used neutrally to mean being physically alone, it frequently carries a slightly melancholic or sad undertone.

Examples

keoi5佢jat1一go3個jan4人zyu6住，ping4平si4時dou1都gei2幾gu1孤daan1單。

He lives alone and is usually quite lonely.

nei5你jat1一go3個jan4人heoi3去leoi5旅hang4行wui2會m4唔wui2會gok3覺dak1得gu1孤daan1單aa1呀？

Do you feel lonely when you travel by yourself?

Common phrases

gok3覺dak1得gu1孤daan1單

to feel lonely

gu1孤daan1單jat1一jan4人

all alone

Common mistake

Learners often confuse this with 獨自, which is an adverb meaning 'by oneself' or 'on one's own' (e.g., 獨自去旅行). 孤單 is an adjective describing the state or feeling of loneliness, so it cannot be used to modify a verb in the same way.