jat1 haak1一刻
Jyutpingjat1 haak1
Yaleyāt hāak
Definition
An instant, a very short period of time, or a specific moment.
colloquialtime
How it's used
Focuses on a specific, often dramatic or pivotal point in time rather than a duration. It frequently appears with the demonstrative 嗰 to point to a precise instant in the past or future. It carries a sense of immediacy that makes it ideal for storytelling or describing sudden realizations.
Examples
He was really scared at that moment.
Do you remember what happened at that moment?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using it to describe long durations or general periods of time, as it strictly refers to a fleeting instant. It is not a direct translation for general time words like time or period.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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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).
