zou2 jat6早日
Jyutpingzou2 jat6
Yalejóu yaht
Definition
A few days ago; recently; a while ago.
colloquialtime
How it's used
Refers to a period of time that has already passed, often used to describe events that occurred some time ago but not necessarily in the distant past. It carries a slightly more formal or narrative tone compared to the very common colloquial term 之前. It is frequently used in storytelling or when recounting personal history to set a temporal context.
Examples
I already told him about it a while ago.
Did you go traveling a while back?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 早啲, which means 'earlier' or 'a bit earlier'. While 早日 refers to a specific time in the past, 早啲 is used to suggest doing something sooner than the current plan.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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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.
