啖

Classifier for Mouthfuls

Level 3Sounds Like daam6

啖 (daam6) is the standard Cantonese classifier for a 'mouthful' or 'sip'. It is used with verbs of eating, drinking, breathing, and even kissing.

How It Works

1. Primary Function
啖 (daam6) functions as a measure word for a single instance of an oral action or a specific amount of substance taken into the mouth. It is highly colloquial and essential to become proficient in natural-sounding Cantonese.

2. Common Verb Pairings
It is most frequently used with:

  • Consumption: 飲 (jam2 - drink), 食 (sik6 - eat), 咬 (ngaau5 - bite), 吞 (tan1 - swallow).
  • Breathing: 唞 (tau2 - rest/breathe), 透 (tau3 - breathe), 吸 (kap1 - inhale). A very common phrase is 唞啖氣 (tau2 daam6 hei3 - catch one's breath).
  • Expulsion: 吐 (tou3 - spit) or the highly colloquial 𦧲 (loe1 - spit out), such as 吐啖痰 (tou3 daam6 taam4 - spit a mouthful of phlegm) or 𦧲啖口水 (loe1 daam6 hau2 seoi2 - spit a mouthful of saliva).
  • Affection: 錫 (sek3 - kiss), such as 錫啖 (sek3 daam6 - give a kiss).

3. Versatility Compared to English
While English uses different specific nouns for oral actions (e.g., a puff, a breath, a sip), Cantonese often uses the versatile measure word 啖 (daam6) for many of these:

  • Smoking: 食啖煙 (sik6 daam6 jin1) refers to taking a puff or having a quick cigarette.

4. Adverbial Use: 大啖 (daai6 daam6)
You will often hear 大啖 (daai6 daam6) or 大大啖 (daai6 daai6 daam6) used before a verb to mean doing something "in big mouthfuls" or "with a big bite/sip." For example, 大啖食 (daai6 daam6 sik6 - eat in big mouthfuls) or 大大啖飲 (daai6 daai6 daam6 jam2 - take a huge gulp).

5. Common Idioms and Expressions

  • 冇啖好食 (mou5 daam6 hou2 sik6): Literally 'not a mouthful of good food', this is an extremely common idiom used to describe a tough situation, a hard life, or a situation where someone is making things difficult for you.
  • 得啖笑 (dak1 daam6 siu3): This means 'only results in a laugh.' It is used to describe something that was a waste of time, a joke, or something that didn't live up to expectations.
  • 一啖砂糖一啖屎 (jat1 daam6 saa1 tong4 jat1 daam6 si2): Literally 'one mouthful of sugar, one mouthful of feces', this describes alternating good and bad treatment.
  • 留返啖氣暖下肚 (lau4 faan1 daam6 hei3 nyun5 haa5 tou5): Literally 'save a breath to warm your stomach', meaning 'save your breath' (don't waste time talking).
  • 爭返啖氣 (zaang1 faan1 daam6 hei3): Literally 'fight back a breath', meaning 'to win back one's pride' or 'to prove oneself'.
  • 出啖氣 (ceot1 daam6 hei3): Literally 'let out a breath', meaning 'to vent one's anger or frustration'.

6. Syntactic Behavior
In the pattern Verb + (一) + 啖 + Noun, the numeral 'one' (jat1) is frequently dropped unless emphasizing the quantity of one in spoken Cantonese. For example, 'drink a sip of water' is usually 飲啖水 (jam2 daam6 seoi2) rather than 飲一啖水 (jam2 jat1 daam6 seoi2). Additionally, 啖 (daam6) is frequently used post-verbally without a noun to mean 'take a bite/sip/kiss'. For example, 咬一啖 (ngaau5 jat1 daam6 - take a bite) or 畀我錫啖 (bei2 ngo5 sek3 daam6 - let me give you a kiss). When using aspect markers like 咗 (zo2), they are placed directly after the verb and before the measure word. For example, 咬咗一啖 (ngaau5 zo2 jat1 daam6 - took a bite) or 錫咗啖 (sek3 zo2 daam6 - gave a kiss).

7. Reduplication: 啖啖 (daam6 daam6)
When reduplicated, it means 'every mouthful' or 'full of'. A very common idiom is 啖啖肉 (daam6 daam6 juk6). Literally, it describes food that is 'all meat' (no bones), but it is also used metaphorically to describe something very profitable.

Examples (6)

  1. 飲啖水先啦。

    Drink a sip of water first.

    Word by Word: drink mouthful water first [particle]

    Commonly said to someone who is coughing or needs to calm down. Note the omission of 'one' (jat1).

  2. 佢咬咗我一啖。

    He gave me a bite / He bit me once.

    Word by Word: he bite [perfective] me one mouthful

    Here, 啖 (daam6) acts as a verbal classifier for the action of biting. We use 咗 (zo2) to show the action is completed.

  3. 等我唞啖氣先。

    Let me catch my breath first.

    Word by Word: wait me rest mouthful breath first

    The phrase 唞啖氣 (tau2 daam6 hei3) is extremely common for 'taking a breather' or 'catching one's breath'.

  4. 佢喺出面食啖煙。

    He is outside having a puff of a cigarette.

    Word by Word: he at outside eat mouthful smoke

    In Cantonese, 'smoking' is 食煙 (sik6 jin1). Using 啖 (daam6) refers to a puff or a quick smoke.

  5. 呢單嘢真係得啖笑。

    This whole thing is just a joke / laughable.

    Word by Word: this [classifier] thing really only-have mouthful laugh

    The idiom 得啖笑 (dak1 daam6 siu3) is used to describe a situation that is ridiculous, futile, or not worth taking seriously.

  6. 畀我錫啖啦。

    Let me give you a kiss.

    Word by Word: give me kiss mouthful [particle]

    Here, 啖 (daam6) is used post-verbally without a noun to quantify the action of kissing.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 口 (hau2) where 啖 (daam6) is the usual spoken classifier.

    Different Meaning飲一口水
    飲啖水

    啖 (daam6) is the usual spoken classifier for a mouthful or sip: 飲啖水. 口 (hau2) is also used for mouthfuls, so 飲一口水 is understood, but 啖 sounds more Cantonese.

  • Thinking the 'one' (jat1) must be kept before 啖.

    Different Meaning我想食一啖蛋糕。
    我想食啖蛋糕。

    我想食一啖蛋糕 is a good sentence. In casual speech the 一 is often dropped after a verb, giving 我想食啖蛋糕, and keeping 一 can stress 'just one mouthful'. Both are natural.

How It Connects

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

啖Level 3Classifier for Mouthfuls

Learn This First

The pattern '啖' (mouthful) functions as a classifier or measure word. To understand it, a learner needs to be familiar with the basic Cantonese classifier system, the standard word order for counting (Number + Classifier + Noun), and the concept of using containers or portions as units of measurement.

Words in This Pattern

啖啖