wong4遑
Jyutpingwong4
Yalewòhng
Definition
Leisure; time to spare.
writtentimedaily actions
How it's used
This character is primarily used in the negative form 冇遑 to describe a lack of free time or a state of being too busy to attend to something. It carries a slightly literary or formal nuance compared to the common term 冇時間. You will rarely encounter it in casual spoken Cantonese, as it is often replaced by more direct expressions in daily life.
Examples
He is always so busy that he has no leisure time to rest.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 遑 in the literary expression 遑論, which means 'let alone' or 'not to mention'. Using it in that sense is strictly for written or formal contexts and will sound very unnatural in conversation.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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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).
