嬲
nau1
The Cantonese word for mad is 嬲 (nau1).
嬲 is an adjective used to describe being angry. To say you are mad at someone, you place the person directly after the word, such as in the phrase 嬲緊我 (mad at me).
Meaning: angry (adj)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Macau, people use 生氣 to say mad.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the particle 緊 after 嬲 (as in 嬲緊) indicates that a person is currently in the state of being mad. To express the degree of anger, use the construction 嬲到 followed by a descriptive phrase to show the result or extent of the anger.
How do you pronounce it?
nau1
Did you know?
- In Hong Kong, 黐線 can mean 'mad' in the sense of 'crazy', and its literal translation is 'to have broken or disconnected wires'.
- In some informal Cantonese slang, instead of saying one is mad, one might say they are 黑面, which literally translates to 'black face'.
- In Hong Kong, saying 嬲 is frequently accompanied by a physical gesture of pouting or turning the head away to signal the 'silent treatment'.
Examples in context
- 我冇嬲過你。I was never mad at you.This sentence shows how to use 嬲 in a negative past context.Tatoeba #7999704 by nickyeow, translation #2546784 by CK
- 你仲嬲緊我呀？Are you still mad at me?This sentence demonstrates using 嬲緊 to ask if someone is currently mad at you.Tatoeba #6116716 by nickyeow, translation #1886318 by CK
- 我叫佢做「矮仔」，佢就嬲到紮紮跳。He got mad at me for calling him Shorty.This sentence illustrates using the 嬲到 construction to describe an intense reaction.Tatoeba #422971 by nickyeow, translation #33569 by CM
- 佢好易生氣。He always gets mad easily.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ka Ming forgot his anniversary and Ya Ting is upset.
- 家明 Ka Ming你係咪嬲我？nei5 hai6 mai6 nau1 ngo5?Are you mad at me?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting我好嬲！你唔記得今日係咩日子。ngo5 hou2 nau1! nei5 m4 gei3 dak6 gam1 jat6 hai6 me1 jat6 zi2.I am very mad! You forgot what day today is.
- 家明 Ka Ming對唔住，我真係唔記得咗。deoi3 m4 zyu6, ngo5 zan1 hai6 m4 gei3 dak6 zo2.I'm sorry, I really forgot.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting快啲去買禮物補償我。faai3 di1 heoi3 maai3 lai5 mat6 bou2 coeng4 ngo5.Hurry up and buy a gift to make it up to me.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
