zaan2棧栈
Jyutpingzaan2
Yalejáan
Definition
A warehouse or storehouse; a rustic inn or tavern; a wooden or bamboo pen for sheep or cattle.
- warehouse; storehouse
- rustic inn; tavern
- wooden or bamboo pen for sheep or cattle
writtenplaces
How it's used
While historically referring to animal pens or inns for travelers, the term is now primarily encountered in historical dramas or literature. In modern Cantonese, it is rarely used to describe contemporary hotels or storage facilities, which are typically referred to as 酒店 or 貨倉 respectively.
Measure word
gaan1間gānExamples
This inn is very old, let's not stay here.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 盞, which is a common measure word for lamps or a particle used to indicate a negative tone in spoken Cantonese.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
