cou3糙
Jyutpingcou3
Yalechou
Definition
Rough, unpolished, or crude.
- rough; coarse; not smooth or delicate
- unpolished (of rice or grain)
- vulgar; crude; lacking refinement
colloquialfooddescriptions
How it's used
Primarily used to describe the texture of unrefined grains like brown rice, but frequently applied metaphorically to describe coarse behavior or unrefined speech. When describing people or their actions, it carries a negative connotation of being unpolished or lacking in manners. It is less common in daily speech than more specific descriptors like 粗魯 for behavior or 粗糙 for physical surfaces.
Examples
This brown rice has a good texture.
His way of speaking is very coarse and not pleasant to hear.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe physical objects that are simply uneven or bumpy, as 粗糙 is the standard term for physical texture. Learners often confuse it with 粗, which is a much more versatile word for general thickness or roughness.
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.
