san4 zou2晨早
Jyutpingsan4 zou2
Yalesàhn jóu
Definition
Early morning, or a long time ago.
- early morning; early in the morning
- long ago; a long time ago; since way back
colloquialtime
How it's used
Emphasizes the earliness of an action, often carrying a sense of surprise or annoyance depending on the context. It is frequently paired with the intensifier 流流 to highlight that something is happening at an unusually early or inconvenient hour. While it functions as an adverb, it often implies that the subject has been active for a while before the speaker's current point of reference.
Examples
I have already woken up and am working since early this morning.
Why are you calling me so early in the morning?
Related words
Common phrases
at such an ungodly hour in the morning
to wake up early in the morning
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe a duration of time; it specifically refers to the point in time when an action occurs. Learners sometimes confuse it with the noun morning, but it functions strictly as an adverbial modifier for actions.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
