man1 gai1蚊雞蚊鸡
Jyutpingman1 gai1
Yalemān gāi
Definition
An informal way to refer to the Hong Kong dollar, or simply one dollar.
colloquialmoney
How it's used
Adding 雞 to the end of a number is a very common way to sound casual when talking about money. It is strictly for spoken contexts and should be avoided in formal business or professional settings. It is mostly used for smaller amounts rather than large sums like millions.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this term when discussing large financial transactions or in formal writing, as it can sound overly flippant or disrespectful to the currency. It is also not used for other currencies, only for Hong Kong dollars.
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.
