gwai3 gang1貴庚贵庚
Jyutpinggwai3 gang1
Yalegwai gāng
Definition
A polite, honorific way to ask someone's age.
colloquialpeopletime
How it's used
This term is exclusively reserved for addressing elderly people or individuals of high status to show respect. Using it with peers or younger people sounds sarcastic, overly dramatic, or like a character from a period drama. It is a formal, old-fashioned way to inquire about age that is rarely heard in casual daily settings.
Examples
May I ask how old you are?
May I ask how old the elderly person is?
Related words
Common phrases
May I ask your age
Common mistake
Do not use this to ask the age of friends or colleagues, as it will sound like you are mocking them or trying to sound like a historical figure. Stick to asking 幾多歲 for general purposes.
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.
