jan6韌韧

Jyutpingjan6

Yaleyahn

形容詞Rare

Definition

Tough, chewy, or flexible; difficult to break, tear, or chew.

colloquialfooddescriptions

How it's used

Primarily used to describe food that is difficult to chew, such as overcooked meat or poorly prepared squid. Beyond food, it describes materials that are flexible yet resistant to breaking, like rubber or high quality plastic. It carries a negative connotation when applied to food, implying poor quality or bad cooking technique.

Examples

le1呢faai3塊ngau4牛juk6肉hou2好ngan6韌，ngaau5咬gik6極dou1都ngaau5咬m4唔hoi1開。

This piece of beef is so tough, I can't chew through it no matter what.

nei5你tiu4條zoeng6橡gan1筋gam3咁ngan6韌，jing1應goi1該m4唔wui2會gam3咁jik6易tyun5斷。

Your rubber band is so tough, it probably won't break that easily.

Common phrases

ngan6韌sing3性

toughness

ngaau5咬m4唔hoi1開

cannot chew through

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with 硬, which means hard or rigid. Something can be hard but brittle, meaning it snaps easily, whereas something described as 韌 is specifically resistant to being pulled apart or bitten through.