haak3嚇吓
Jyutpinghaak3
Yalehaak
Definition
To scare or frighten someone.
colloquialemotion
How it's used
Often used with the resultative complement 親 to indicate that someone has been startled or frightened by an unexpected event. It carries a sense of suddenness, distinguishing it from general fear or anxiety. When used in the structure 嚇死人, it functions as a hyperbolic expression for something that is shocking or extremely surprising.
Examples
He has been easily frightened since he was little.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse 嚇 with 驚. While 嚇 is a transitive verb meaning to cause fear in someone else, 驚 is an intransitive verb or adjective meaning to feel afraid oneself.
Grammar color guide
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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.
