daai1獃
Jyutpingdaai1
Yaledāai
Definition
Stupid, slow-witted, dull, or lacking dexterity.
colloquialdescriptionspeople
How it's used
Often used to describe a state of being mentally absent or physically sluggish rather than just lacking intelligence. It carries a sense of being frozen in a daze or failing to react to surroundings. When used as a verb, it frequently appears in the reduplicated form 獃吓獃吓 to emphasize the prolonged, vacant nature of the behavior.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 呆, which is a common variant character. While they are often interchangeable in writing, 獃 is specifically used in Cantonese to describe that vacant, slow-witted look or state.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
