gwai3悸
Jyutpinggwai3
Yalegwai
Definition
Sudden increase of heartbeat rate; palpitation.
writtenhealthbody
How it's used
This character is almost exclusively used in formal or medical contexts related to heart health. It functions as a bound morpheme rather than a standalone verb in daily speech. When people describe the physical sensation of a racing heart in casual conversation, they typically use phrases like 心跳得好快 or 心慌.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
palpitation
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a common verb like 跳, but it is a formal term. Using it in casual conversation to describe excitement or nervousness will sound unnatural or overly clinical.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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).
