si1 gaa1 ce1私家車私家车
Jyutpingsi1 gaa1 ce1
Yalesī gā chē
Definition
Private car; a sedan, saloon, or typical family automobile.
colloquialtransport
How it's used
Refers specifically to a passenger vehicle for personal use, distinguishing it from commercial vehicles like taxis or vans. While technically a sedan, the term is applied broadly to most personal cars in casual conversation. It is common to simply use 車 in daily speech when the context of it being a private car is already clear.
Measure word
gaa3架gaExamples
He bought a private car and brought it home.
Are you driving your private car to work today?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin term 小汽車, which is rarely used in Hong Kong. Using the term to refer to a public transport vehicle like a bus or a taxi will cause confusion.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
