jat1 haa6一下
Jyutpingjat1 haa6
Yaleyāt hah
Definition
Suffix added after a verb to soften the tone or indicate a brief, gentle action.
colloquialdaily actionsparticle
How it's used
Using this marker makes requests sound significantly less demanding and more polite. While it technically means a short duration, it is often used purely to soften the tone of an imperative sentence. In casual speech, it is almost always written or pronounced as 吓 rather than the more formal 一下.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often overuse it by adding it to every single verb, which can make speech sound repetitive or overly hesitant. It is also inappropriate to use when giving a formal command or when the action is clearly long or serious.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
