jyun4 daan3元旦
Jyutpingjyun4 daan3
Yaleyùhn daan
Definition
New Year's Day; the first day of the year.
neutraltimefestival
How it's used
Refers specifically to January 1st on the Gregorian calendar. While it is a public holiday in Hong Kong, it is often overshadowed by the Lunar New Year in terms of cultural significance and family gatherings. People frequently use it to refer to the day off work rather than the start of the calendar year itself.
Examples
Where do you plan to go for fun on New Year's Day?
We went to Victoria Harbour to watch the fireworks on New Year's Day.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 農曆新年, which is the Lunar New Year. Using 元旦 to refer to the Lunar New Year is incorrect as it strictly denotes the first day of the solar year.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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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).
