jam1 sing3陰性阴性
Jyutpingjam1 sing3
Yaleyām sing
Definition
Negative, especially of medical test results indicating that a target virus or bacteria is not detected.
colloquialhealth
How it's used
Primarily used in medical contexts to indicate the absence of a specific pathogen or condition. It carries a sense of relief when discussing health screenings or viral tests. Unlike formal written Chinese, it is frequently paired with particles like 㗎 or 喇 to soften the delivery in casual conversation.
Examples
Luckily the test result is negative, no need to quarantine.
Have you done the test yet? Is it negative?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe a person's mood or personality, as it does not mean pessimistic or gloomy in Cantonese; use 悲觀 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
