gam3 gwai2咁鬼
Jyutpinggam3 gwai2
Yalegam gwái
Definition
Extremely, awfully, or dreadfully.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Adding 鬼 to an adjective or adverb serves as an intensifier that expresses frustration, surprise, or annoyance. It functions similarly to 'damn' or 'hell' in English, injecting a strong emotional tone into the sentence. It is most commonly used in informal settings among friends or family to emphasize a negative quality or an unexpected situation.
Examples
The food at this restaurant is dreadfully awful.
Why on earth are you back so late?
Related words
Common phrases
extremely (with added emphasis)
dreadfully troublesome
Common mistake
Avoid using this in formal or professional settings, as the inclusion of 鬼 can sound aggressive or rude to strangers or superiors. It is strictly for casual, colloquial speech.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
