乾淨
gon1 zeng6
To clean in Cantonese is 乾淨 (gon1 zeng6).
The term is used as a transitive verb to describe the act of removing dirt from a place or an object.
Meaning: (transitive) to remove dirt from a place or object (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 乾 (dry) and 淨 (pure/clean).
How does it change in a sentence?
You can add the particle 咗 after 乾淨 to indicate a change of state, such as something becoming clean (乾淨咗). To express that something is very or quite clean, place 好 before the word (好乾淨).
How do you pronounce it?
gon1 zeng6
Did you know?
- The phrase 乾淨利落 (gon1 zeng6 lei6 lok6) is a common four-character idiom used to describe someone who works in a very efficient, quick, and clean manner.
- If you describe a person as 乾淨, you are not just commenting on their hygiene, but often implying they have a 'clean' or 'pure' character.
- The word 乾淨 shares its root with the concept of 'dryness', as ancient hygiene focused heavily on removing moisture to prevent rot.
Examples in context
- 我想喺阿爸阿媽返嚟之前執乾淨間屋。I want to clean the house before my parents return.This sentence shows how to use 乾淨 to describe cleaning a house.Tatoeba #484172 by nickyeow, translation #437037 by lukaszpp
- 一種紅橙色嘅物質喺水入面沉澱緊，喺運河底部積聚緊。環境公平中心嘅拉里 · 塔特爾話呢啲係重金屬，係溶喺水入面嘅。喺紅橙色嘅嘢上面流過嚟嘅水睇落夠乾淨，但係塔特爾先生話你唔會想飲佢。A reddish-orange substance is settling out of the water and building up at the bottom of the canals. Larry Tuttle with the Center for Environmental Equity says these are heavy metals that were dissolved in the water. The water running over the reddish-orange stuff looks clean enough, but Mr. Tuttle says you wouldn't want to drink it.This sentence uses 乾淨 to describe the appearance of water.Tatoeba #13488414 by Davidgo5867, translation #12222323 by Cangarejo
- 鯊魚咬傷嘅問題係，佢哋唔單止會造成乾淨嘅割傷，仲會造成好多損傷同創傷。佢哋成日會斷骨同撕裂肌肉，所以試圖整啲嘢去阻止佢流血幾乎係唔可能嘅。但係推喺冇血嘅地方嘅腹股其實係一件好易嘅事。The trouble with a shark bite, they don’t just cause a clean cut, they cause lots of damage and trauma. They often break bones and rip muscle to pieces, and so trying to push on something to stop it bleeding is almost impossible. But pushing on the groin where there is no blood is actually an easy thing to do.This sentence uses 乾淨 to describe the nature of a cut.Tatoeba #13493151 by Davidgo5867, translation #10321388 by Hybrid
- 呢度好整潔It's very clean here.
- 公共場所應該保持乾淨Public places should be kept clean.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two roommates are talking about the kitchen.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung俊傑，你幫我將個廚房整乾淨。zeon2 git3, nei5 bong1 ngo5 zoeng1 go3 cy4 fong2 zing2 gon1 zing6.Chun Kit, please help me clean the kitchen.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit好，我而家就去執乾淨。hou2, ngo5 ji4 gaa1 zau6 heoi3 zap1 gon1 zing6.Okay, I'll go clean it up now.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung唔該，記得要抹乾淨個枱面。m4 goi1, gai3 dak1 jiu3 mat1 gon1 zing6 go3 toi2 min6.Thanks, remember to wipe the tabletop clean.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit放心啦，我會整到好乾淨。fong3 sam1 laa1, ngo5 wui5 zing2 dou3 hou2 gon1 zing6.Don't worry, I'll make it very clean.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
