gung1 jan4工人
Jyutpinggung1 jan4
Yalegūng yàhn
Definition
A worker or laborer, especially one who does manual labor in construction or other industries.
colloquialworkpeople
How it's used
While this term technically refers to manual laborers or industrial workers, it is frequently used in Hong Kong to refer specifically to domestic helpers, often shortened to 工人姐姐. Using it in a professional context for office staff or white collar roles is incorrect and sounds unnatural. It carries a specific nuance of someone hired to perform physical tasks or household chores.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
That construction worker is working very hard.
Have you found a cleaner yet?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe professional staff or office employees, as it exclusively implies manual labor or domestic service. For general employees, use 職員 instead.
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.
