noeng4 gaa1娘家
Jyutpingnoeng4 gaa1
Yalenèuhng gā
Definition
A married woman's parents' home or her family before marriage.
colloquialfamily
How it's used
Refers specifically to the home of a married woman's parents. It carries a sense of belonging and comfort for the woman, often used when she returns there for support or during holidays. While it is a standard term, it is slightly more formal than the common colloquial term 外家.
Examples
She went back to her maternal home to stay after the New Year.
When are you taking your wife back to visit her maternal family?
Related words
Common phrases
return to maternal home
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.
