kung4窮穷
Jyutpingkung4
Yalekùhng
Definition
Poor; lacking money or property.
colloquialmoneydescriptions
How it's used
Beyond just describing a lack of money, this word often carries a sense of hardship or being unable to afford basic necessities. It is frequently used in the phrase 窮到燶, which emphasizes extreme poverty. While it can describe a person, it is equally common to use it to describe a state of being or a specific period in one's life.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this word to describe a lack of something other than money, such as a lack of time or talent. For those contexts, use 冇 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
