si1 gaa1私家
Jyutpingsi1 gaa1
Yalesī gā
Definition
Private or personal; belonging to an individual rather than shared with others.
colloquialdaily actionsother
How it's used
Focuses on the concept of exclusive ownership or personal use rather than just secrecy. It frequently appears in compound nouns to distinguish items intended for individual use from those provided for public or group access. When used to describe a person, it can imply a sense of being someone's exclusive partner or favorite, though this usage is more playful.
Examples
This is my private car, not a company car.
Do you have a private place where we can talk?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage of 私人, which is more formal and broader in scope. While 私人 is understood in Cantonese, 私家 is the preferred term for physical objects like cars or specific personal spaces.
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.
