jau4 haan4悠閒悠闲
Jyutpingjau4 haan4
Yaleyàuh hàahn
Definition
Leisurely, carefree, and unburdened with work.
neutraldescriptionstime
How it's used
Focus on a state of mind rather than just having free time. It implies a sense of calm and lack of pressure, often used to describe a lifestyle or a specific atmosphere. It is frequently paired with the particle 咁 to describe the manner in which an action is performed.
Examples
Their life is very leisurely after retirement.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 懶散, which carries a negative connotation of being lazy or unmotivated. 悠閒 is a positive, desirable state of being relaxed and unhurried.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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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.
