kam4 jat6琴日
Jyutpingkam4 jat6
Yalekàhm yaht
Definition
Yesterday
colloquialtime
How it's used
Pronunciation often shifts towards kam4 jat6 in rapid speech, though the written form remains 琴日. It is the standard way to refer to the previous day in casual conversation, whereas 昨天 is reserved for formal writing or news broadcasts. Using 昨天 in daily speech can sound overly stiff or like a direct translation from Mandarin.
Examples
I went to the library to read books yesterday.
Why didn't you go to work yesterday?
Related words
Common mistake
Beginners sometimes confuse 琴日 with 今日, which means today. The similarity in sound can lead to confusion, so pay close attention to the initial consonant.
Grammar color guide
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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).
