saam1 dau1三兜

Jyutpingsaam1 dau1

Yalesāam dāu

Definition

Thirty dollars; thirty bucks.

slangmoney

How it's used

三兜 is a slang term for thirty dollars, derived from the Cantonese slang 兜 meaning ten dollars. It is strictly used in casual, spoken contexts and is never used in written communication or formal business. The term is part of a broader system where numbers are combined with 兜 to denote tens of dollars.

Examples

ni1呢go3個faan6飯hap2盒jiu3要saam1三dau1兜aa4呀？

This lunch box costs thirty bucks?

ngo5我dak1得faan1返saam1三dau1兜zaa5咋，gau3夠m4唔gau3夠maai5買aa4呀？

I only have thirty bucks left, is it enough to buy it?

Common phrases

saam1三dau1兜je5嘢

thirty bucks (with the filler 嘢)

Common mistake

Do not use this in any formal setting like a bank or a professional shop, as it sounds overly informal and potentially disrespectful. It is strictly limited to small, casual transactions between friends or at local street stalls.