hou2 jan4好人
Jyutpinghou2 jan4
Yalehóu yàhn
Definition
A good person who is kindhearted, helpful, and easy to get along with.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Describing someone as a 好人 can sometimes carry a nuance of being too naive or easily taken advantage of, depending on the context. When used in a sarcastic tone, it implies that the person is being overly accommodating or foolishly generous to those who do not deserve it.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He really is a good person, always helping others.
Why are you being such a good person, helping him clean up his mess?
Related words
Common phrases
good deeds and kind acts
good people get good rewards
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage where 好人卡 refers to the friend zone. In Cantonese, calling someone a 好人 is a genuine compliment unless the surrounding sentence structure or tone suggests otherwise.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
