lou4 juk6牢獄牢狱
Jyutpinglou4 juk6
Yalelòuh yuhk
Definition
Prison or jail.
writtenplaces
How it's used
Refers to the institution of imprisonment in a formal or literary sense, often carrying a heavier tone than the common spoken term 監倉. It frequently appears in legal contexts, news reports, or when describing the harsh reality of being incarcerated. Using it in casual conversation can sound overly dramatic or like a line from a period drama.
Measure word
gaan1間gānExamples
He spent a few years in prison before coming back out.
Related words
Common phrases
the disaster of being imprisoned
to serve time in prison
Common mistake
Avoid using this in everyday speech when talking about someone being in jail, as it sounds stiff and unnatural. Use 監倉 or 坐監 instead for normal conversation.
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).
