jat1 zou2 zau6一早就
Jyutpingjat1 zou2 zau6
Yaleyāt jóu jauh
Definition
Right from the start, or very early on.
colloquialtimedaily actions
How it's used
Emphasis is placed on the earliness of an action, often implying that the speaker finds the timing surprisingly or unnecessarily early. It functions as an adverbial phrase that highlights the start of the day, regardless of whether the actual time is sunrise or just before a scheduled event. Use this to express frustration about being woken up or to boast about productivity.
Examples
He already left the house early this morning.
Why did you come to find me so early in the morning?
Related words
Common phrases
to get up early in the morning
to have known from the very beginning
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with just being early in general, as it specifically refers to the start of the day. It is not used for events that happen early in a sequence unless that sequence starts at the beginning of the day.
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.
