jat1 kwan4一群
Jyutpingjat1 kwan4
Yaleyāt kwàhn
Definition
A group, crowd, flock, or pack of people or animals.
neutralpeopleanimals
How it's used
Use this measure word primarily for groups of living things like people or animals. It implies a collective, often moving or gathered together, rather than just a static pile or collection of objects. It carries a sense of natural grouping rather than an organized or formal unit.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this for inanimate objects or organized groups like teams or companies, where words like 堆 or 班 are more appropriate. Using it for things like chairs or books sounds unnatural to native speakers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
