jan2 joek3隱約隐约

Jyutpingjan2 joek3

Yaleyán yeuk

形容詞Common

Definition

Indistinct, faint, or unclear; not obvious or blurred.

neutraldescriptions

How it's used

Focuses on sensory perceptions or abstract feelings that are just on the edge of awareness. It is commonly used with verbs of perception like 見到 or 聽到 to describe something that is present but not sharp or fully defined. Unlike purely negative words for unclear, it implies that the subject is actually there, just difficult to perceive clearly.

Examples

ngo5我jan2隱joek3約gin3見dou2到jyun5遠cyu3處jau5有go3個jan4人jing2影。

I can faintly see a figure in the distance.

nei5你hai6係mai6咪jan2隱joek3約gok3覺dak1得jau5有di1啲m4唔to5妥？

Do you have a vague feeling that something is wrong?

Common phrases

jan2隱joek3約teng1聽dou3到

faintly hear

jan2隱joek3約gin3見dou2到

faintly see

Common mistake

Avoid using this to describe things that are completely invisible or silent, as it specifically requires a trace of the object to be present. It is also not typically used to describe a person's speech as being vague or evasive, which would be better expressed as 講嘢含糊.