soeng5 baan1 zuk6上班族
Jyutpingsoeng5 baan1 zuk6
Yaleséuhng bāan juhk
Definition
Office workers, salaried employees, or white-collar workers.
- salaried employees; wage earners; working class
- white-collar workers; office workers
colloquialworkpeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to people who commute to a formal office environment, carrying a slightly more modern or professional connotation than the broader term 打工仔. While 打工仔 can apply to anyone working for a wage, including manual laborers or service staff, 上班族 implies a desk job or corporate role. It is often used to describe the lifestyle of the urban middle class in Hong Kong.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Ever since he became an office worker, he always says he is exhausted.
Do you want to be an office worker, or do you want to start your own business?
Related words
Common phrases
to work as an office worker
typical office worker
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe someone working in manual labor or trade jobs, as it specifically evokes the image of office-based employment. Use 打工仔 if you want to refer to employees in general regardless of their specific work environment.
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.
