ngon3案
Jyutpingngon3
Yalengon
Definition
A table or desk; a file, record, proposal, or legal case.
- table; desk
- a file, record, official document, or legal case
neutralworkother
How it's used
Modern Cantonese speakers almost exclusively use 枱 for physical furniture like tables or desks. 案 is reserved for abstract or formal contexts, such as legal cases, official proposals, or written records. It carries a professional or bureaucratic weight that makes it sound out of place in casual conversation about furniture.
Examples
This project proposal is written in great detail.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use 案 to refer to a piece of furniture, as it will sound archaic or confusing. Always use 枱 for physical tables.
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.
