間

Classifier for Rooms and Buildings

Level 1Sounds Like haan4

間 (gaan1) is the essential Cantonese classifier for rooms (bedrooms, kitchens) and functional establishments (shops, restaurants, schools, companies, hospitals).

How It Works

1. Meaning and Function
The classifier 間 (gaan1) is used to count or specify interior rooms as well as entire establishments where people live, work, study, or shop.

2. Common Nouns Used with 間 (gaan1):

  • Rooms & Compartments: 房 (fong2 - room), 睡房 (seoi6 fong2 - bedroom), 廚房 (cyu4 fong2 - kitchen), 廁所 (ci3 so2 - bathroom), 辦公室 (baan6 gung1 sat1 - office).
  • Residences: 屋 (uk1 - house). (Note: While 一間屋 jat1 gaan1 uk1 is correct, 間 cannot be used with 屋企 uk1 kei2 - home/family).
  • Shops & Commercial Places: 鋪頭 (pou3 tau4 - shop), 餐廳 (caan1 teng1 - restaurant), 酒店 (zau2 dim3 - hotel), 銀行 (ngan4 hong4 - bank), 公司 (gung1 si1 - company).
  • Institutions: 學校 (hok6 haau6 - school), 醫院 (ji1 jyun2 - hospital), 圖書館 (tou4 syu1 gun2 - library).

3. Bare Classifier Construction (Definiteness)
In Cantonese, placing a bare classifier directly before a noun without a number or demonstrative (CL + Noun) indicates a specific, definite noun (equivalent to 'the' in English). For example, 間屋好大 (gaan1 uk1 hou2 daai6) means "The house is big."

4. Pronunciation Note (Verb vs. Classifier)
When used as a classifier, 間 is pronounced in the 1st tone as gaan1. When used as a verb meaning "to partition" or "to divide" (as in 間房 gaan3 fong2 - to partition a room), it is pronounced in the 3rd tone as gaan3.

5. Cantonese vs. Mandarin Distinction
Mandarin speakers often rely on 家 (jiā) or 所 (suǒ) for companies and schools. In Cantonese, using 家 (gaa1) in conversation sounds unnatural or literary. Usually use 間 (gaan1) for businesses and institutions in everyday spoken Cantonese.

Examples (5)

  1. 呢間房真係好大。

    This room is really big.

    Word by Word: This [CL] room really is very big.

    間 (gaan1) acts as the classifier for 房 (fong2, 'room') following the demonstrative 呢 (ni1, 'this').

  2. 間屋真係好乾淨。

    The house is really clean.

    Word by Word: [CL] house really is very clean.

    Using the bare classifier 間 (gaan1) directly before 屋 (uk1, 'house') specifies 'the house' (definiteness).

  3. 我哋去呢間餐廳食飯啦。

    Let's go eat at this restaurant.

    Word by Word: We go this [CL] restaurant eat rice [particle].

    Restaurants (餐廳 caan1 teng1) take 間 (gaan1) as their standard classifier in Cantonese.

  4. 佢喺一間醫院做醫生。

    He works as a doctor in a hospital.

    Word by Word: He at one [CL] hospital work doctor.

    Hospitals (醫院 ji1 jyun2) and institutions take 間 (gaan1) following numbers like 一 (jat1).

  5. 你想去邊間呀？

    Which one do you want to go to?

    Word by Word: You want go which [CL] [particle]?

    When context is clear (e.g., choosing between shops or restaurants), 邊間 (bin1 gaan1, 'which one') can be used without repeating the noun.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 家 (gaa1) for a company in speech, where 間 (gaan1) is the more usual spoken classifier.

    Different Meaning佢喺一家公司工作。
    佢喺一間公司做嘢。

    佢喺一家公司工作 is fine. 家 (gaa1) is widely used for companies and 工作 is the more written word. In everyday speech 間 (gaan1) and 做嘢 are more usual.

  • Using 個 (go3) for a shop, where 間 (gaan1) is more specific.

    Different Meaning我想去呢個舖頭睇吓。
    我想去呢間舖頭睇吓。

    我想去呢個舖頭睇吓 is natural. 間 (gaan1) is the more specific classifier for shops and rooms, but 個 is also widely said.

How It Connects

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間Level 1Classifier for Rooms and Buildings

Learn This First

To use the classifier '間' (gaan1), you first need to understand the general role of classifiers in Cantonese and the standard word order for counting nouns (Number + Classifier + Noun).

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间间