naau6 jan4鬧人闹人

Jyutpingnaau6 jan4

Yalenaauh yàhn

Uncommon

Definition

To scold, tell off, or curse someone.

colloquialpeopledaily actions

How it's used

Carries a strong sense of verbal aggression or reprimand that goes beyond simple criticism. It is frequently used to describe someone who has a short temper or a habit of lashing out at others. While it can imply shouting, it specifically focuses on the act of directing negative speech toward a person.

Examples

keoi5佢seng4成jat6日dou1都naau6鬧jan4人，zan1真hai6係hou2好faan4煩。

He is always telling people off, it is really annoying.

nei5你zou6做me1咩mou4無laa1啦laa1啦naau6鬧jan4人aa4呀？

Why are you scolding people out of the blue?

Common phrases

naau6鬧jan4人naau6鬧dou3到haam3喊

to scold someone until they cry

mou4無gu3故naau6鬧jan4人

to scold someone for no reason

Common mistake

Avoid using this to mean simply talking about someone behind their back, which would be 講人壞話. It specifically requires the target to be present or the act of scolding to be direct.