gwai6 fat6匱乏匮乏
Jyutpinggwai6 fat6
Yalegwaih faht
Definition
Deficient; lacking; short of something.
writtendescriptionsother
How it's used
Literary in tone, this word is typically reserved for formal contexts like news reports, academic writing, or serious discussions about societal issues. In casual daily speech, people almost always use 缺乏 or 唔夠 instead. Using it in a lighthearted conversation can make you sound overly dramatic or like you are reading from a textbook.
Examples
Their district is very short on resources, life is very difficult.
Do you think this place is very lacking in entertainment facilities?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake it for a general synonym for 'not enough', but it specifically implies a severe or systemic lack of essential things. It is not used for minor inconveniences, such as running out of milk or having a small amount of money in your pocket.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
