mak6 sang1陌生

Jyutpingmak6 sang1

Yalemahk sāng

形容詞Common

Definition

Strange, unfamiliar, or unacquainted.

neutraldescriptionspeople

How it's used

While standard in written Chinese, this term feels slightly more formal or detached when spoken compared to the more common colloquial term 生保. It is frequently used to describe abstract concepts like environments, feelings, or faces, whereas 生保 is often reserved for people or specific objects one has not encountered before. Using it in casual conversation is perfectly acceptable, but it carries a slightly more serious or descriptive tone.

Examples

ni1呢go3個dei6地fong1方hou2好mak6陌sang1生，ngo5我jyun4完cyun4全m4唔sik1識lou6路。

This place is very unfamiliar, I don't know the way at all.

nei5你hai6係mai6咪gok3覺dak1得ni1呢go3個waan4環ging2境hou2好mak6陌sang1生aa4呀？

Do you feel that this environment is very strange?

Common phrases

mak6陌sang1生jan4人

stranger

mak6陌sang1生min6面hung2孔

unfamiliar face

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for meaning 'weird' or 'bizarre' in the sense of 'creepy', but it strictly refers to a lack of familiarity or previous contact. If you want to describe someone or something as 'weird' or 'strange' in a negative sense, use 奇怪 instead.