hung2 haak3恐嚇恐吓
Jyutpinghung2 haak3
Yalehúng haak
Definition
To intimidate, threaten, or blackmail, usually to coerce someone into acting or not acting.
neutralpeopleother
How it's used
Carries a strong legal and moral weight, often used in serious contexts like police reports or news coverage. While it can describe verbal threats, it frequently implies a calculated attempt to coerce someone through fear. It is distinct from simply scaring someone for fun, which would be better described as 嚇親.
Examples
He is always intimidating me, saying he will leak my secrets.
Do you know that intimidating people is against the law?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using it for lighthearted pranks or minor scares, as the term implies malicious intent or criminal behavior. For casual situations where someone is merely startled, use 嚇 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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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).
