班
baan1
In Cantonese, 'class' is translated as 班 (baan1).
The word 班 is a colloquial term used to refer to a group of people, such as a class of students or a group of workers, rather than a physical classroom.
Meaning: group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 班 refers to the group of students (the class), 課室 refers to the physical room where the class is held.
How does it change in a sentence?
班 can function as a classifier (measure word) for groups of people or animals, such as in the phrase 班人 (a group of people).
How do you pronounce it?
baan1
Did you know?
- The word 班 is used to describe the 'class' or 'crew' of a vehicle, such as a bus or a train. A specific scheduled departure is often referred to as a 班.
- When used as a classifier for people, 班 can sometimes carry a slightly derogatory or dismissive tone, similar to saying 'that lot' or 'that crowd' in English.
- In a school setting, a student's 'class' is their identity, but the act of 'attending class' uses the word 上堂 (soeng5 tong4), where 堂 refers to the lesson rather than the group.
Examples in context
- 你嗰班有幾多人㗎？How many are there in your class?This sentence shows how to ask about the size of a class using 班.Tatoeba #2272636 by nickyeow, translation #17396 by darinmex
- 瑪利次次都坐係班房最尾。Mary always sat in the back of the class.This sentence illustrates using 班 to describe a student's position within a class.Tatoeba #12059885 by thesilhouette, translation #6634488 by Hybrid
- 我嗰班嗰啲女仔全部都好好人。All the girls in my class are kind.This sentence demonstrates describing people within a specific class using 班.Tatoeba #1081444 by nickyeow, translation #250299 by papabear
- 我今日有中文課堂。I have a Chinese class today.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two classmates are talking about their school groups.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting你係邊班嘅？nei5 hai6 bin1 baan1 ge3?Which class are you in?
- 俊傑 Chun Kit我喺嗰班，好嘈。ngo5 hai2 go2 baan1, hou2 cou4.I'm in that class, it's very noisy.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting你嗰班有幾多學生？nei5 go2 baan1 jau5 gei2 do1 hok6 saang1?How many students are in your class?
- 俊傑 Chun Kit我嗰班有三十個學生。ngo5 go2 baan1 jau5 saam1 sap6 go3 hok6 saang1.There are thirty students in my class.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
