leon6吝

Jyutpingleon6

Yaleleuhn

語素

Definition

Stingy; unwilling to give or share what one has.

colloquialpeopledescriptions

How it's used

The character 吝 is almost exclusively used in the compound 吝嗇 to describe someone who is stingy or miserly. While 吝 alone carries the meaning of being unwilling to give, it rarely appears as a standalone verb in modern spoken Cantonese. It functions as a formal root that requires the addition of 嗇 to form a complete, natural adjective.

Examples

keoi5佢fan6份jan4人hou2好leon6吝sik1嗇，lin4連ceng2請bui1杯seoi2水dou1都m4唔hang2肯。

He is so stingy, he won't even treat someone to a glass of water.

zou6做jan4人m4唔hou2好gam3咁leon6吝sik1嗇，hoi1開sam1心di1啲laa1啦。

Don't be so stingy, be a bit happier.

Common phrases

leon6吝sik1嗇gwai2鬼

miser

Common mistake

Learners often try to use 吝 as a standalone verb, but it is not used this way in daily speech. Always use the full compound 吝嗇 to describe someone's personality.