gung1 gaa1公家
Jyutpinggung1 gaa1
Yalegūng gā
Definition
Public or government-owned; belonging to the public or collectively to a group.
colloquialworkmoney
How it's used
Refers specifically to resources, money, or property that belong to a group, organization, or the government rather than an individual. It carries a strong implication of shared ownership, often used to remind people to be responsible or not to treat shared assets as their own private stash.
Examples
These are public property, don't take them home.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe things that are open to the general public, like a public park or public transport, as those are usually referred to as 公共. Use this specifically for items or funds that belong to a defined group or entity.
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.
