Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 攰 | gui⁶ | |
| 疲倦 | pei⁴ gyun⁶ | formal |
Both forms are used to describe a state of being in need of rest or sleep. 攰 is the standard way to express being tired in everyday spoken Cantonese, while 疲倦 is a more formal term used to describe physical or mental fatigue.
Which one should you use?
攰 is the common, everyday term for 'tired'. In contrast, 疲倦 is a more formal, written-style term used to describe fatigue in contexts such as literature or news reports.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
攰 is the standard form for everyday speech. For more formal contexts, you can use 疲倦. For describing extreme physical fatigue informally, people often say 好攰 and for expressing being completely worn out or exhausted, the informal phrase 累哂 is used. If you need to describe both physical and mental exhaustion in a formal way, the expression 精疲力竭 is appropriate.
How do you pronounce it?
gui⁶
Did you know?
- The character 攰 is unique to Cantonese and is not used in Mandarin to mean 'tired'. A Mandarin speaker would use 累 instead.
- The idiom 精疲力竭 literally translates to 'essence exhausted and strength spent', splitting fatigue into spiritual and physical components.
- Because 攰 is a spoken-specific character, it was created specifically to represent the Cantonese sound and meaning that standard Chinese characters lacked.
Examples in context
- 個個都攰嘞。Everyone looks tired.This example shows how to use 攰 to describe how people look.Tatoeba #12053281 by thesilhouette, translation #3749196 by CK
- 大家都攰嘞。Everyone is tired.This example shows how to use 攰 to state that everyone is tired.Tatoeba #12112178 by thesilhouette, translation #2094819 by CK
- 我等行到攰。We got tired of walking.This example shows how to use 攰 to describe the result of walking.Tatoeba #12133485 by thesilhouette, translation #11129568 by CK
- 今日工作真辛苦，精疲力竭。I am completely exhausted from working so hard today.
- 我返工好攰。I am very tired from work.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting after a long day of work.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit你今日攰唔攰呀？nei5 gam1 jat6 gui6 m4 gui6 aa3?Are you tired today?
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung我好攰呀。ngo5 hou2 gui6 aa3.I am very tired.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit噉不如早啲去瞓覺啦。dam2 bat1 jyu4 zou2 di1 heoi3 fan3 gaau3 laa1.Then why not go to sleep earlier.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung好呀，我真係想休息下。hou2 aa3, ngo5 zan1 hai6 soeng2 jau1 sik1 haa5.Okay, I really want to rest a bit.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tired” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
