ngoi6 gwok3外國外国
Jyutpingngoi6 gwok3
Yalengoih gwok
Definition
Foreign country; any country other than one's own.
colloquialplacestravel
How it's used
Refers specifically to countries outside of Hong Kong, often implying a sense of distance or a different cultural environment. It is frequently used when discussing immigration, studying abroad, or vacationing. Unlike the more formal or academic usage in other Chinese dialects, this term is the standard, everyday way to refer to any place outside the local region.
Examples
Do your family members live abroad?
He really likes traveling abroad to go shopping.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 遠, which means far. While foreign countries are often far away, the focus of 外國 is on the political or cultural boundary rather than the physical distance.
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.
