餐（名量詞）

Classifier for Meals

Level 2Sounds Like caan1

餐 (caan1) is the standard Cantonese classifier for meals (like breakfast or dinner) and is also used after verbs to describe a 'good session' of an activity, such as crying or scolding.

How It Works

餐 (caan1) is an essential classifier in daily Cantonese. It has two main functions:

1. The Meal Classifier
In Cantonese, 餐 (caan1) is the default word for counting meals. Cantonese also has 頓 (deon6), but 餐 is the usual word for meals in speech. It is used in the standard Number + Classifier + Noun pattern.

  • 一餐飯 (jat1 caan1 faan6) — a meal
  • 食三餐 (sik6 saam1 caan1) — eat three meals

2. The Verbal Classifier (A 'Bout' of Action)
This is a more idiomatic use. When 餐 (caan1) follows a verb (often with 咗 zo2), it indicates a 'bout' or a 'good session' of that action. It implies the action was done thoroughly, intensely, or for a long time.

  • 喊一餐 (haam3 jat1 caan1) — to have a good cry
  • 鬧一餐 (naau6 jat1 caan1) — to give/get a good scolding
  • 笑一餐 (siu3 jat1 caan1) — to have a good laugh

3. 餐 (caan1) vs. 個 (go3)
When talking about food, 個 (go3) usually refers to a specific 'set' or 'portion' (like a 'Number 1' set at a restaurant), whereas 餐 (caan1) refers to the event of the meal itself.

Examples (5)

  1. 我一日食三餐。

    I eat three meals a day.

    Word by Word: I one day eat three meal.

    Here, 餐 (caan1) is used as a standard noun classifier for meals.

  2. 尋晚俾阿媽鬧咗一餐。

    Last night I got a good scolding from Mom.

    Word by Word: Last night by Mom scold [aspect] one meal.

    In this sentence, 餐 (caan1) acts as a verbal classifier, implying the scolding was long and intense.

  3. 佢頭先大喊咗一餐。

    He just had a big cry just now.

    Word by Word: He just now big cry [aspect] one meal.

    Using 餐 (caan1) with 喊 (haam3, to cry) suggests a 'good cry' or a complete emotional release.

  4. 呢餐飯好豐富。

    This meal is very rich/abundant.

    Word by Word: This meal rice very rich.

    餐 (caan1) is used with the demonstrative 呢 (ni1, this) to specify a particular meal.

  5. 我哋去咗嗰度食咗一餐好貴嘅午餐。

    We went there and had a very expensive lunch.

    Word by Word: We go [aspect] there eat [aspect] one meal very expensive [possessive] lunch.

    Even when specifying the type of meal (午餐 ng5 caan1, lunch), 餐 (caan1) is used to quantify the event.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 一頓飯 when 一餐飯 is also common.

    Different Meaning我食咗一頓飯。
    我食咗一餐飯。

    我食咗一頓飯 is natural. 一餐飯 (caan1) counts a regular meal, and 一頓飯 (deon6) is also common.

  • Confusing 餐 (caan1) with 個 (go3) when ordering food.

    我要一餐早餐。
    我要一個早餐。

    When ordering a 'set meal' or a specific portion at a cafe, use 個 (go3). 餐 (caan1) refers to the event of eating the meal, not the physical tray of food.

How It Connects

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餐（名量詞）Level 2Classifier for Meals

Learn This First

To understand the classifier '餐', you first need to understand how classifiers work in Cantonese and how they fit into the standard counting structure (Number + Classifier + Noun). Since '餐' is often used to count the act of eating, familiarity with verbal classifiers like '次' is also beneficial.

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