maa4痲
Jyutpingmaa4
Yalemàh
Definition
Numbness, tingling, or paralysis; or a reference to leprosy or measles.
- numb; tingling; paralyzed
- leprosy
- measles
colloquialbodyhealth
How it's used
While historically associated with leprosy, the character is almost exclusively used in modern speech to describe the sensation of numbness or pins and needles. It is frequently paired with 痺 to form the compound 痲痺, which is the standard way to describe a limb falling asleep or being paralyzed. Using it to refer to the historical disease is now considered archaic or overly clinical.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
numbness or paralysis
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 麻, which is used for the plant hemp or the spice in Sichuan cuisine. While they share a similar sound and appearance, 痲 specifically carries the medical connotation of numbness or disease.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
