kwai1 him3虧欠亏欠
Jyutpingkwai1 him3
Yalekwāi him
Definition
To feel indebted to someone, typically in terms of a personal favor or care.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
Focuses on a sense of emotional debt or failing to live up to a moral obligation towards someone. It is often used when one feels they have let a loved one down or failed to reciprocate kindness. Unlike feeling sorry for a mistake, this implies a lingering weight on the conscience due to an imbalance in a relationship.
Examples
He helped me so much, I really feel very guilty.
Why do you feel guilty towards him?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage where it can sometimes mean financial loss or being in debt. In Cantonese, it is almost exclusively used for emotional or moral indebtedness.
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.
