驚
geng1
驚 (geng1) is the Cantonese word for scared.
驚 is an adjective used to describe being afraid or frightened. For a more intense sensation of terror or deep fear, you might use the term 驚恐.
Meaning: afraid, frightened (adj)
Which one should you use?
While 驚 is the general term for being scared, 嚇親 is used specifically to express being startled or frightened by a sudden event and 驚嚇 emphasizes a sudden scare or a state of shock.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Guangzhou, the term 驚嚇 is often used to describe a sudden scare or shock.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that someone has become scared or has already been frightened, you can add the particle 咗 after 驚 to form 驚咗.
How do you pronounce it?
geng1
Did you know?
- The character for 驚 contains the radical for 'heart' (忄), which visually links the concept of being scared to a physical sensation in the heart.
- The word 驚 is a homophone for the word meaning 'surprise', meaning that in spoken Cantonese, the context determines if someone is terrified or merely amazed.
- In Cantonese, the word 驚 is often used as a shortcut for 'to be afraid that' when expressing worry about a future outcome, rather than just feeling fear.
Examples in context
- 蕾拉真係好驚。Layla was really scared.This sentence shows how to express that someone was really scared using 驚.Tatoeba #6108602 by nickyeow, translation #6088358 by OsoHombre
- 啲小朋友好驚。The kids are scared.This sentence uses 驚 to describe kids who are scared.Tatoeba #7066704 by nickyeow, translation #5280509 by mailohilohi
- 我哋兩個都好驚。Both of us were scared.This sentence demonstrates using 驚 to say both people were scared.Tatoeba #9536316 by nickyeow, translation #9501167 by CK
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are walking through a dark park at night.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting俊傑，你驚唔驚呀？zeon3 kit3, nei5 geng1 m4 geng1 aa3?Junjie, are you scared?
- 俊傑 Chun Kit我唔係好驚，放心啦。ngo5 m4 hai6 hou2 geng1, fong3 sam1 laa1.I'm not very scared, don't worry.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting但係呢度好黑，我真係好驚。daan6 hai6 nei1 dou6 hou2 hak1, ngo5 zan1 hai6 hou2 geng1.But it's so dark here, I'm really scared.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit雅婷，跟住我行就得喇。nga5 ting4, gan1 zyut6 ngo5 haang4 zau6 dak1 laa3.Ah Ting, just walk with me and you'll be fine.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
