gu1 noeng4 zai2姑娘仔
Jyutpinggu1 noeng4 zai2
Yalegū nèuhng jái
Definition
Young girl.
colloquialpeople
How it's used
This term carries a warm and affectionate tone, often used to describe a young, unmarried girl or a child. It is distinct from the more formal 女仔 or the clinical term for a nurse, which is also 姑娘. Using the diminutive suffix 仔 adds a sense of endearment or friendliness that makes the speaker sound more approachable.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
That young girl is very well-behaved and always helps with housework.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to refer to a nurse in a professional setting if you want to be precise, as 姑娘 is the standard term for a nurse in Hong Kong hospitals, and adding 仔 might sound overly casual or even disrespectful depending on the context.
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.
