The rule: morning direction → 返工 (faan1 gung1); evening direction → 收工 (sau1 gung1). 返 means return to, 收 means pack up — the workday framed as going back to the grind, then folding it away. Mix them and you announce "I knock off at nine in the morning".
| 返工 | 收工 | |
|---|---|---|
| Jyutping | faan1 gung1 | sau1 gung1 |
| Job | Start of work — go to work | End of work — knock off, get off |
| Time of day | Morning, arrival | Evening, departure |
| Mandarin twin | 上班 (soeng6 baan1 / shàngbān) | 下班 (haa6 baan1 / xiàbān) |
| Situation | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "Work starts at nine tomorrow" | 聽朝九點返工 | Morning direction — 返工 |
| "What time do you finish?" | 幾點收工 | End of day — 收工 |
| "Heading to work now" | 而家返工 | On the way in — 返工 |
| "Just knocked off" | 啱啱收工 | Freshly out — 收工 |
| "School run (kids)" | 返學 / 放學 | Same frame; note 放 not 收 for school |
| "Overtime tonight" | 今晚要OT，遲收工 | Late finish — still 收工, qualified by 遲 |
Saying 聽朝九點收工 — "knocking off at nine tomorrow morning". Learners swap these because both contain 工. Anchor them to the sun: 返 = sunrise arrival, 收 = sunset pack-up.
More learner answers on the FAQ page; other classic mix-ups: 唔該 vs 多謝, 係 vs 喺; head-to-head dictionary picks on best Cantonese dictionary.
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