jat1 lau2一樓一楼
Jyutpingjat1 lau2
Yaleyāt láu
Definition
The ground floor or the first floor, depending on regional naming conventions.
colloquialplaces
How it's used
Hong Kong follows the British system where the ground floor is called 一樓. The level above it is called 二樓, and so on, which often confuses visitors from countries like the United States where the ground floor is the first floor. Always check if someone is referring to the street level or the floor above it if there is any ambiguity in a building's layout.
Examples
He lives on the ground floor, just walk up a few steps and you're there.
Related words
Common phrases
ground floor lobby
Common mistake
Learners often mistake 一樓 for the first floor above ground level, but in Hong Kong, it refers to the ground floor. If you mean the floor above the ground floor, you must say 二樓.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
