lei5俚

Jyutpinglei5

Yaleléih

Definition

Rustic and unrefined; or to hide.

rustic; unrefined; vulgar
literaryto hide; to conceal

colloquialcommunicationslang

How it's used

Primarily encountered in the term 俚語 for slang or colloquialisms, which refers to language that is informal or regional. It carries a nuance of being unpolished or characteristic of common, everyday folk rather than formal education. Outside of this specific compound, it is rarely used as a standalone adjective in modern speech.

Examples

keoi5佢gong2講je5嘢hou2好lei5俚，ngo5我teng1聽m4唔ming4明。

His speech is very rustic, I cannot understand.

le1呢zung3種lei5俚jyu5語hou2好do1多jan4人gong2講㗎。

Many people use this kind of slang.

Common phrases

lei5俚jyu5語

slang

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with 哩, which is a common character used for phonetic purposes or as a variant for distance units. Learners often mistake the two because they look visually similar in handwritten notes.