bat1 dak1不得
Jyutpingbat1 dak1
Yalebāt dāk
Definition
Must not, cannot, or not allowed to.
writtenother
How it's used
This term is strictly formal and appears almost exclusively in written notices, legal documents, or official signage. It carries a sense of authority and impersonal prohibition that makes it sound unnatural in spoken Cantonese. In daily conversation, speakers would use 唔准 or 唔可以 instead.
Examples
Smoking is not allowed in public areas.
Entry is prohibited without permission.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistakenly use this in casual speech because they encounter it on signs. Using it in conversation makes you sound like a formal document or a very stiff, robotic authority figure.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
