hoeng1 haa6鄉下乡下
Jyutpinghoeng1 haa6
Yalehēung hah
Definition
Countryside, rural area, or one's ancestral home town.
- countryside; rural area; relatively undeveloped region
- one's ancestral home town or village
colloquialplacespeople
How it's used
Beyond referring to a rural area, this word is frequently used by Hong Kongers to refer to their ancestral hometown in mainland China, even if that place has since become a major city. It carries a sense of personal origin or roots rather than just a description of a landscape. Using it to describe a place that is not your ancestral home can sound dismissive or imply that the area is underdeveloped.
Examples
He always says he wants to move back to the countryside.
Where is your hometown?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage which strictly means countryside. In Cantonese, it is the standard way to ask someone about their ancestral home, so it is often used in social contexts where you are asking about someone's family background.
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.
