bat1 dong3不當不当
Jyutpingbat1 dong3
Yalebāt dong
Definition
Inappropriate, improper, or incorrect.
writtendescriptions
How it's used
While 不當 is understood in Cantonese, it carries a slightly formal or written tone. In casual daily speech, native speakers almost always prefer using 唔適當 or 唔啱嚟形容 things that are not suitable or correct. Using 不當 in a very relaxed setting might sound like you are reading from a news report or a formal document.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse 不當 with 唔妥. 唔妥 usually refers to a personal disagreement or a feeling that something is suspicious or wrong, whereas 不當 refers specifically to the lack of suitability or correctness of an action or method.
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.
