caan4 saat3殘殺残杀
Jyutpingcaan4 saat3
Yalechàahn saat
Definition
To butcher, slaughter, massacre, or kill brutally and cruelly.
neutralpeopleother
How it's used
Carries a strong sense of moral condemnation and extreme cruelty, making it far more intense than standard verbs like 殺. It is typically reserved for describing war crimes, mass violence, or heinous acts committed by villains in stories. You will rarely hear this used in casual conversation unless discussing serious news or historical atrocities.
Examples
Those thugs brutally slaughtered many innocent citizens.
Why did they have to brutally kill those small animals?
Related words
Common phrases
to slaughter the innocent
Common mistake
Do not use this word for everyday situations like killing a mosquito or even standard hunting, as it implies a level of malice and brutality that would sound absurdly dramatic in those contexts.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
