jau5莠

Jyutpingjau5

Yaleyáuh

Definition

Green foxtail grass (Setaria viridis), or figuratively, something of bad quality or undesirable.

technicalgreen foxtail grass (Setaria viridis)
figurativeundesirable; of bad quality; weed-like

writtennature

How it's used

This character is primarily used in literary or formal contexts to refer to weeds that resemble grain but provide no harvest. In modern spoken Cantonese, people almost exclusively use 雜草 to describe weeds. You will rarely hear 莠 in daily conversation unless someone is quoting classical literature or using a specific idiom.

Examples

ni1呢di1啲dou1都hai6係jau5莠，m4唔hou2好jiu3要。

These are all weeds, don't keep them.

zong1莊gaa3稼jap6入min6面dim2點gaai2解wui2會jau5有gam3咁do1多jau5莠？

Why are there so many weeds in the crops?

Common phrases

loeng4良jau5莠bat1不cai4齊

a mixture of good and bad

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for a common verb because of its appearance. It is a noun referring to a specific type of grass, not a general term for bad behavior or poor quality in a colloquial sense.