sou3 gaai1掃街扫街
Jyutpingsou3 gaai1
Yalesou gāai
Definition
To sweep and clean the streets, or to go on a street food crawl.
- to sweep and clean the streets
- slangto go on a street food crawl; to eat street food along a street
colloquialfooddaily actions
How it's used
Modern usage almost exclusively refers to the act of walking along a street while eating various snacks from different stalls. While the literal meaning of cleaning the street still exists, it is rarely the primary intent in casual conversation. It carries a strong connotation of leisure, indulgence, and exploring local food culture.
Examples
Going to Mong Kok to eat street food after work is so much fun.
Do you want to go to Kwai Chung Plaza to eat street food later?
Common phrases
to eat street food
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the literal job of a street cleaner, which is also called 掃街. Context usually makes it clear whether you are talking about eating snacks or manual labor.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
