dou1叨

Jyutpingdou1

Yaledōu

Rare

Definition

Garrulous, talkative, or to grumble.

colloquialpeoplecommunication

How it's used

Used primarily in the reduplicated form 叨叨 to describe someone who talks incessantly or complains about trivial matters. It carries a negative connotation of being tiresome or repetitive. While it can mean to grumble, it is most frequently used to describe the act of nagging someone else.

Examples

keoi5佢seng4成jat6日hai2喺dou6度cou4嘈cou4嘈，hou2好faan4煩aa4呀。

He is always nagging and making noise, so annoying.

nei5你m4唔hou2好zoi3再dou1叨laa3喇，ngo5我zi1知co3錯㗎gaa2喇。

Please stop nagging, I already know I was wrong.

Common phrases

cou4嘈cou4嘈

nagging and noisy

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage of 叨, which can sometimes mean to thank someone or to chat in a friendly way. In Cantonese, it almost exclusively refers to annoying, repetitive speech.