jan4 sau2人手
Jyutpingjan4 sau2
Yaleyàhn sáu
Definition
Manpower or staff; can also mean manually, by hand, or by oneself.
- manpower; personnel; staff
- manually; by hand; hand-made
colloquialworkdaily actions
How it's used
Refers primarily to the availability of staff or workforce in a business context, but also functions as an adverbial phrase meaning by hand or manually. When discussing staffing levels, it is frequently paired with adjectives like 夠 or 唔夠 to describe whether a team is adequately sized. It carries a sense of physical labor or human involvement that distinguishes it from automated processes.
Examples
This shop is short-staffed, so there is always a long queue.
Are these handicrafts of yours all made by hand?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 人工 which refers to a salary or wage. While both start with 人, they are distinct concepts regarding human resources versus financial compensation.
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.
