hou2 gei2好幾好几
Jyutpinghou2 gei2
Yalehóu géi
Definition
Several; a few; quite a few.
colloquialnumbers
How it's used
Indicates an indefinite number that is more than a couple but significantly less than many. It carries a sense of being slightly more than expected or just enough to be noteworthy. Unlike the Mandarin usage where it might imply a larger quantity, in Cantonese it often feels more precise when paired with a specific classifier.
Examples
I have been waiting here for quite a few hours.
Have you bought a few apples to take home yet?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to mean a very small number like two or three, as it usually implies at least four or five. For a smaller, vague amount, use 幾 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
