tong4 gaa1 ze2堂家姐
Jyutpingtong4 gaa1 ze2
Yaletòhng gā jé
Definition
An elder female cousin on one's father's side.
colloquialfamilypeople
How it's used
Cantonese kinship terms are highly specific, distinguishing between paternal and maternal sides as well as relative age. Using 堂家姐 explicitly identifies her as the daughter of your father's brother who is older than you, which is essential for maintaining proper social hierarchy within a family. If she were younger, you would use 堂妹 instead.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
My older paternal cousin is getting married next month.
Does your older paternal cousin live in Tsim Sha Tsui?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use 表姐 for all female cousins, but that term is reserved strictly for maternal cousins or the daughters of your father's sisters. Using the wrong term can cause confusion about your family tree and lineage.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
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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).
