gaak3 zaa1隔渣

Jyutpinggaak3 zaa1

Yalegaak jā

Definition

To strain or filter out dregs and residue.

colloquialdaily actionsfood

How it's used

Beyond the literal act of straining liquids, this term is frequently used metaphorically to describe someone who filters out irrelevant or low-quality information during a conversation. It implies a sense of discernment, suggesting that the person is separating the useful 'meat' from the useless 'dregs'. You will often hear it used when someone is summarizing a long-winded story or cutting through nonsense.

Examples

bou1煲jyun4完tong1湯gei3記dak1得jiu3要gaak3隔zaa1渣aa4呀。

Remember to filter the soup after boiling it.

nei5你bui1杯caa4茶gaak3隔zo2咗zaa2渣mei6未aa4呀？

Have you filtered the dregs out of your tea yet?

Common phrases

gaak3隔zaa1渣mong5網

strainer or filter mesh

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with the noun 渣, which refers to the residue or dregs themselves. Learners sometimes mistakenly use it as a general verb for cleaning or removing things, but it is strictly reserved for separating solids from liquids or figurative 'impurities' from a message.