haan1慳悭
Jyutpinghaan1
Yalehāan
Definition
Frugal, thrifty, or economical.
colloquialmoneydaily actions
How it's used
Carries a nuance that can range from positive, meaning sensible and thrifty, to negative, implying someone is stingy or cheap. It is frequently used with the particle 啲 to soften the tone, turning it into a gentle piece of advice to spend less. When used to describe someone who is excessively cheap, it is often paired with 孤寒.
Examples
If you are more frugal in your daily life, you can save money.
He is very thrifty; he doesn't even want to turn on the air conditioning.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 慳家, which is a common compound adjective describing someone who is naturally thrifty or a good manager of household finances. While 慳 is a verb or adjective, 慳家 is specifically used to praise someone for their habit of saving money.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
