jau5 gwai2有鬼

Jyutpingjau5 gwai2

Yaleyáuh gwái

Definition

Haunted; also used figuratively to describe something suspicious, fishy, or shady.

haunted; possessed by ghosts
figurativesuspicious; fishy; shady; having an ulterior motive

colloquialother

How it's used

Beyond the literal meaning of being haunted by spirits, this phrase is frequently used metaphorically to describe a situation that seems suspicious or dishonest. When someone says a deal or a plan has ghosts, they are implying that there is a hidden agenda or a trick involved. It functions similarly to saying something smells fishy in English.

Examples

le1呢gaan1間uk1屋hou2好ci5似jau5有gwai2鬼gam3咁，je6夜maan5晚seng4成jat6日jau5有seng1聲。

This house seems haunted; there are always noises at night.

nei5你gok3覺dak1得le1呢daan1單je5嘢jau5有gwai2鬼，hai6係mai6咪jau5有jan4人aak3呃ngo5我dei6哋？

Do you think there's something fishy about this? Is someone lying to us?

Common phrases

seng4成gin2件si6事jau5有gwai2鬼

the whole thing is suspicious

Common mistake

Do not use this to describe a person who is acting strangely or suspiciously, as it specifically refers to the situation or the place itself. If you want to describe a person who is acting weird, use 佢好古怪 instead.