hau2 ngaang6口硬
Jyutpinghau2 ngaang6
Yaleháu ngaahng
Definition
Stubbornly refusing to admit a mistake or accept the facts; obstinate.
colloquialpeopleemotion
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the act of verbal denial despite clear evidence to the contrary. It often pairs with 心軟 to describe someone who talks tough but acts kindly, highlighting a discrepancy between their words and their actual feelings.
Examples
It is clearly your fault, why are you still being so stubborn and refusing to admit it?
He is just that kind of person who refuses to admit his mistakes, even though he is actually very regretful inside.
Related words
Common phrases
tough talk but a soft heart
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 嘴硬, which is a common Mandarin-influenced variant. While understood, 口硬 is the authentic Cantonese expression for this specific behavior.
Grammar color guide
Noun
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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).
