咳
kat1
The Cantonese word for "cough" is 咳 (kat1).
咳 refers to the sudden, often involuntary expulsion of air from the lungs through the glottis and out through the mouth. In Cantonese, the word functions as both a noun (a cough) and a verb (to cough).
Meaning: sudden, often involuntary expulsion of air from the lungs through the glottis, and out through the mouth (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone has coughed, you can add the aspect particle 咗 after the verb, resulting in 咳咗. To describe the continuous action of coughing, use the structure 喺度 + verb, as in 喺度咳.
How do you pronounce it?
kat1
Did you know?
- In Cantonese culture, a loud 咳 is often used as a subtle social signal to get someone's attention or to express disagreement without speaking.
- There is a Cantonese saying 咳出嚟, which literally means 'cough it out', but can be used metaphorically to describe finally revealing a secret that was burdensome.
- The word 咳 is a key component of the term 咳血, which means 'coughing blood' and is a common trope in Wuxia literature to signal a character's fatal internal injury.
Examples in context
- 佢咳得好犀利He is coughing very severely
- 佢個咳好嚴重。keoi5 go3 haak3 hou2 jim6 zung6.His cough is very serious.
- 聽落好似係感冒引起嘅咳。ting1 lok6 hou2 ci5 hai6 gam2 mou6 jan5 kei5 ge3 haak3.It sounds like a cough caused by a cold.
Example conversation
Ka Yan and Ka Ming are talking about health at home.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan家明，你把咳仲係咁勁。ga1 ming4, nei5 ba2 haak1 zung6 hai6 gam3 ging6.Ka Ming, your cough is still so strong.
- 家明 Ka Ming係啊，好唔舒服。hai6 aa3, hou2 m4 syu1 fuk6.Yes, it's very uncomfortable.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan你想唔想去睇醫生？nei5 soeng2 m4 soeng2 heoi3 tai2 ji1 sang1?Do you want to go see a doctor?
- 家明 Ka Ming好，我而家就去。hou2, ngo5 ji4 gaa1 zau6 heoi3.Okay, I will go now.
