gaa1嘎
Jyutpinggaa1
Yalegā
Definition
Onomatopoeia for a cackling, cracking, or screeching sound; also refers to a solidified mass or dregs.
- onomatopoeia for a cackling, cracking, or screeching sound
- a solidified mass or dregs
colloquialanimalsother
How it's used
Primarily functions as an onomatopoeia for sharp, repetitive sounds like quacking or cackling laughter. While it can technically refer to dregs or solidified masses in specific literary or regional contexts, these meanings are rarely encountered in daily Hong Kong speech. Most speakers will immediately associate this character with the sound of a duck or a loud, high-pitched laugh.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
cackling or quacking sound
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this character with the common sentence-final particle 㗎, which is used to indicate a question or emphasis. Remember that 嘎 is strictly for sound effects, whereas 㗎 is a grammatical particle used at the end of a sentence.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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Classifier
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Grammar guides
- 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.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
