大約

Approximately

Level 2Sounds Like daai6 joek3

Place '大約' (daai6 joek3) directly BEFORE a number, classifier, or time expression to indicate an estimated quantity.

How It Works

Function and Meaning
'大約' (daai6 joek3) means 'approximately', 'roughly', or 'about'. It is an adverb placed before numbers or quantities in both daily spoken Cantonese and written contexts to indicate an estimate.

Grammatical Placement
'大約' is placed directly before the target quantity constituent:

  • Numeral + Classifier + Noun: 呢度有大約六個人 (There are roughly six people here).
  • Time / Duration / Age: 佢大約五十歲 (He is around 50 years old).
  • Verbs with Quantities: 呢間宿舍大約住咗五百人 (About 500 people live in this dormitory). It is also very common to use 大約有 (daai6 joek3 jau5) before a quantity: 呢度大約有六個人 (There are roughly six people here).

Discontinuous Frames in Spoken Cantonese
In casual spoken Cantonese, '大約' is frequently paired with post-nominal estimation markers placed after the number phrase:

  • 大約 ... 左右 (zo2 jau6): e.g., 大約六個人左右 (roughly 6 people or so).
  • 大約 ... 咁上下 (gam3 soeng6 haa2): e.g., 大約六個人咁上下 (roughly 6 people or so).
  • 大約 ... 度/喥/到 (dou2): e.g., 大約兩年半度 (about two and a half years or so).

Distinction from Similar Words

  • 左右 (zo2 jau6): Placed after the quantity phrase (e.g., 六個人左右). While combining '大約' and '左右' is completely natural in casual Cantonese speech, choosing just one marker is preferred in formal writing.
  • 差唔多 (caa1 m4 do1): Placed before quantities. Unlike the neutral estimate of '大約', '差唔多' means 'almost' or 'nearly', implying that the actual amount is approaching the stated number (e.g., 差唔多六個人 means 'almost six people').
  • 大概 (daai6 koi3): Modifies numbers like '大約' (e.g., 大概兩個月), but unlike '大約', '大概' can also modify full clauses or verbs to mean 'probably' (e.g., 佢大概會嚟).

Examples (4)

  1. 呢度有大約六個人。

    There are roughly six people here.

    Word by Word: here has approximately six [classifier] people

    '大約' (daai6 joek3) is placed before '六個人' (luk6 go3 jan4) to estimate the number of people.

  2. 佢大約五十歲。

    He is around fifty years old.

    Word by Word: he approximately fifty year-of-age

    '大約' (daai6 joek3) comes directly before the age '五十歲' (ng5 sap6 seoi3).

  3. 呢間宿舍大約住咗五百人。

    About five hundred people live in this dormitory.

    Word by Word: this [classifier] dormitory approximately live [aspect] five hundred people

    '大約' (daai6 joek3) precedes the verb and quantity structure to signal an approximate number of residents.

  4. 我大約需要兩個鐘頭先整好。

    I need roughly two hours to finish fixing it.

    Word by Word: I approximately need two [classifier] hours only-then fix good

    '大約' (daai6 joek3) modifies the time duration '兩個鐘頭' (loeng5 go3 zung1 tau4).

Common Mistakes

  • Placing '大約' after the quantity phrase.

    呢度有六個人大約。
    呢度有大約六個人。

    '大約' (daai6 joek3) is a pre-nominal adverb and must go BEFORE the quantity. If you want a word that goes after the quantity phrase, use 左右 (zo2 jau2) or 到 (dou2) instead.

  • Combining '大約' and '左右' in formal written Chinese.

    Different Meaning大約有五十個人左右
    大約有五十個人 / 有五十個人左右

    While combining '大約' (daai6 joek3) before a quantity with 左右 (zo2 jau2) after it is very common and natural in casual spoken Cantonese, it is considered redundant in formal written Chinese proofreading. Choose one marker for formal writing.

  • Using '大約' to express 'probably' without a quantity.

    佢大約會嚟。
    佢大概會嚟。

    '大約' (daai6 joek3) mainly goes with numbers, quantities, or measurements. To express probability about an event ('probably'), use '大概' (daai6 koi3) or 可能 (ho2 nang4). Note that '大概' can modify both numbers and full events.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

大約Level 2Approximately

Learn This First

To use 大約 (approximately), learners must first be comfortable with the standard Cantonese counting frame (Number + Classifier + Noun). It is also helpful to understand its counterpart '左右' to correctly place 大約 before the numerical expression.

Words in This Pattern

大约