百厭
baak3 jim3
The Cantonese word for naughty is 百厭 (baak3 jim3).
百厭 describes someone who is bad or tends to misbehave. While it can describe a child's misbehavior, it is also frequently used to describe an adult who is a 'troublemaker' or someone who likes to play pranks and act rebelliously.
Meaning: bad, tending to misbehave or act badly (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The term literally translates to 'hundred naughty', where 百 (baak3) means hundred and 厭 (jim3) is a colloquial term for being naughty or troublesome.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The term is colloquial and is most commonly used in spoken Cantonese rather than formal written Chinese. For a formal way to say 'mischievous', you can use 調皮.
How do you pronounce it?
baak3 jim3
Did you know?
- In some contexts, 百厭 is used as a noun to label a person, such as calling someone a 百厭怪, which translates to a 'naughty monster'.
- While 百厭 can describe a child, it is often used affectionately among friends to describe someone with a 'cheeky' or provocative sense of humor.
- In Cantonese, the word 百 (hundred) is often used as a prefix to mean 'very' or 'extremely', rather than the actual number 100.
Examples in context
- 呢個細路真係好百厭。ni1 go3 sai3 lou6 zan1 hai6 hou2 baak3 jim1.This kid is really naughty.
- 佢細個嗰陣好百厭。keoi5 sai3 go3 zan2 hou2 baak3 jim1.He was very naughty when he was young.
- 唔好咁百厭呀。m4 hou2 gam2 baak3 jim1 aa3.Don't be so naughty.
Example conversation
A mother is talking to a father about their son's behavior.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting阿仔今日好百厭呀。aa3 zai2 gam1 jat6 hou2 baak3 jim1 aa3.The boy is very naughty today.
- 家明 Ka Ming佢今日做咗咩呀？keoi5 gam1 jat6 zou6 zo2 me1 aa3?What did he do today?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting佢喺屋企周圍走。keoi5 hai2 uk1 kei2 zau1 wai4 zau2.He was running all around the house.
- 家明 Ka Ming佢真係好百厭。keoi5 zan1 hai6 hou2 baak3 jim1.He really is naughty.
