laat6 taat3邋遢
Jyutpinglaat6 taat3
Yalelaaht taat
Definition
Dirty, filthy, messy, or unhygienic.
colloquialdescriptionspeople
How it's used
Often used to describe a person's appearance or habits, implying a lack of personal hygiene or organization. When describing a person, it carries a stronger sense of being unkempt or sloppy compared to just being physically dirty. The reduplicated form 邋邋遢遢 is frequently used to emphasize a persistent state of messiness.
Examples
Why is your room so messy and dirty?
He is always so sloppy and unkempt, it is really hard to stand.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 污糟, which is a more general term for something being dirty or stained. 邋遢 specifically highlights a state of disorder, neglect, or poor personal grooming, whereas 污糟 is usually applied to objects or surfaces that have been dirtied.
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.
