lou4 gung1勞工劳工
Jyutpinglou4 gung1
Yalelòuh gūng
Definition
Labour or worker; typically referring to lower-level employees or working-class people.
neutralworkpeople
How it's used
Refers primarily to manual labourers or the working class in formal contexts, such as government policy or legal discussions. It carries a more detached, institutional tone compared to the casual term 打工仔, which is used to describe oneself or peers in daily life.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
They hire many labourers to work here.
Are you looking for workers to help out?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this word to refer to your own job or a friend's occupation in casual conversation, as it sounds overly formal or even clinical. Use 打工仔 instead for everyday talk about employment.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
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.
