m4 hiu2唔曉唔晓
Jyutpingm4 hiu2
Yalem̀h híu
Definition
To not know; to not understand or know how to do something.
colloquialdaily actionsdescriptions
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the lack of a skill or the inability to perform a task, rather than a lack of factual information. It is often used interchangeably with 唔識, though 唔曉 can sound slightly more regional or old-fashioned depending on the speaker's background. Use it when you want to emphasize that you never learned how to do something.
Examples
I really don't know how to make this dish.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to mean you are unaware of a fact, such as not knowing someone's name or where they live; for that, use 唔知.
Grammar color guide
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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.
