hau5 ngaan4厚顏厚颜
Jyutpinghau5 ngaan4
Yaleháuh ngàahn
Definition
Thick-skinned; brazen; cheeky; shameless.
colloquialdescriptionspeople
How it's used
Carries a strong sense of moral disapproval and is used to describe someone who lacks a sense of shame. While it functions as a formal adjective, it is frequently used in everyday speech to criticize someone's audacity. It is essentially a more literary or concise way of saying 厚面皮.
Examples
He is really thick-skinned; he didn't return the things he took from others.
Related words
Common phrases
impudent and shameless
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simply being outgoing or confident. It specifically implies a negative, shameless quality that ignores social boundaries.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
