ho4 dang2何等
Jyutpingho4 dang2
Yalehòh dáng
Definition
An interrogative word used to inquire about or emphasize the high degree of a quality, usually positive.
writtendescriptions
How it's used
Carries a literary and slightly dramatic tone that is rarely used in casual, everyday speech. It functions similarly to how one might use 'how' in an exclamatory sense, but it is much more formal than the standard spoken Cantonese way of expressing degree, which would typically use 幾咁 or 點樣.
Examples
How glorious his achievements are!
Do you know how important this matter is?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use it in negative contexts, but it is almost exclusively reserved for positive or grand descriptions. Using it to describe something mundane or negative will sound unnatural or overly sarcastic.
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.
