gun1 coi4棺材
Jyutpinggun1 coi4
Yalegūn chòih
Definition
Coffin; a container used to hold a corpse for a funeral, burial, or cremation.
colloquialother
How it's used
Mentioning this word is considered highly taboo in daily life due to the strong association with death and bad luck. In Cantonese, the word sounds identical to 官財, which means official wealth or promotion, leading to a common superstition where people avoid saying the word directly to prevent jinxing themselves.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He bought a coffin to prepare for his funeral.
Who would randomly buy a coffin to keep at home?
Related words
Common phrases
savings for one's funeral (often used to mean one's entire life savings)
Common mistake
Avoid using this word in casual conversation or as a joke, as it is deeply offensive and culturally sensitive. If you must refer to the object in a formal or funeral context, use more euphemistic terms like 壽木 or 棺木 to soften the impact.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
