nin4 je6 faan6年夜飯年夜饭
Jyutpingnin4 je6 faan6
Yalenìhn yeh faahn
Definition
Reunion dinner eaten by a family on Lunar New Year's Eve.
colloquialfoodfestival
How it's used
Refers specifically to the meal on the eve of the Lunar New Year, which is the most important family gathering of the year. While it is widely understood, many locals prefer using 團年飯 to emphasize the sense of family reunion. It is almost exclusively used in the context of the Lunar New Year, so it is not used for other festive dinners.
Measure word
caan1餐chānExamples
Where are you all going to have the reunion dinner this year?
I have to go home to have the reunion dinner tomorrow night.
Related words
Common phrases
to have the reunion dinner
to prepare the reunion dinner
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 開年飯, which refers to the first meal eaten after the New Year begins, rather than the eve.
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.
