dau6逗
Jyutpingdau6
Yaledauh
Definition
To stay, stop, or loiter; also to tease, provoke, or amuse.
- to stay; to stop; to loiter
- to tease; to play with; to provoke
- to amuse; to make someone laugh
colloquialdaily actionspeople
How it's used
Beyond meaning to stay or linger, this verb is frequently used in the context of teasing or amusing someone, especially children or pets. It carries a playful or lighthearted tone when used to describe provoking a reaction like laughter. When referring to staying somewhere, it is often interchangeable with 留, but 逗 implies a sense of lingering or loitering rather than just being present.
Examples
How much longer do you want to stay here?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage where it can mean to tease in a way that might be perceived as annoying or provocative. In Cantonese, the sense of amusing or playing with someone is generally positive or affectionate.
Grammar color guide
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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.
