haan1 cin4慳錢悭钱
Jyutpinghaan1 cin4
Yalehāan chìhn
Definition
To save money; to budget or spend less.
colloquialmoneydaily actions
How it's used
Focuses on the act of economizing or being frugal rather than just the concept of saving for the future. It often implies a conscious effort to cut back on unnecessary spending in daily life. When used as an adjective, it describes someone who is stingy or very thrifty.
Examples
The economy is bad lately, we need to save money.
Do you usually have the habit of saving money?
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 儲錢, which specifically refers to the act of putting money aside into a savings account. 慳錢 is about spending less, while 儲錢 is about accumulating wealth.
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.
