aau1 wu1坳胡
Jyutpingaau1 wu1
Yaleāau wū
Definition
A bogie, bogeyman, or scary character from fairy tales used to frighten children into behaving.
colloquialpeople
How it's used
Parents invoke this mythical figure as a tool for discipline, similar to how Western cultures use the bogeyman. It carries a sense of vague, looming threat that is effective because it lacks a specific definition, allowing a child's imagination to do the work. The term is almost exclusively used in the context of childhood warnings.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
If you don't behave, I will call the bogeyman to come and catch you.
Related words
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
