aak1 naan6厄難厄难
Jyutpingaak1 naan6
Yaleāak naahn
Definition
A plight, misfortune, or tragic fate.
writtenemotionother
How it's used
This term carries a heavy, literary weight that is rarely used in casual, everyday conversation. It typically appears in formal writing, news reports, or dramatic storytelling to describe significant suffering or a major life crisis. Using it to describe minor inconveniences will sound overly theatrical or unnatural.
Examples
He went through many hardships before achieving what he has today.
Facing this plight, everyone needs to support each other.
Related words
Common phrases
to experience a plight
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 困難, which is a much more common and versatile word for general difficulties or problems. Reserve 厄難 for situations involving severe misfortune or tragic circumstances.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
