taan2坦
Jyutpingtaan2
Yaletáan
Definition
Flat terrain, or to be open and honest without secrets.
- flat terrain; flat land
- open; honest; upright; without secrets or tricks
neutraldescriptions
How it's used
While 坦 is a morpheme meaning flat or level, it is rarely used as a standalone word in modern Cantonese. It primarily appears in compound words describing either physical terrain or personality traits. When used for personality, it carries a positive connotation of being honest, open, and free from hidden agendas.
Examples
The road is so flat and smooth, it is very comfortable to walk on.
He is a very frank person, he will say whatever is on his mind.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse the use of 坦 in 坦白 with the English word 'flat'. While it can describe physical flatness, it is not used to describe flat objects like a flat tire or a flat battery.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
