ngaa4 gou1牙膏
Jyutpingngaa4 gou1
Yalengàh gōu
Definition
Toothpaste; a paste or gel used with a toothbrush to clean and protect teeth.
colloquialdaily actionsbody
How it's used
The verb 擳 is specifically used for squeezing out substances like toothpaste or sauce from a tube. It is also commonly used in the idiom 擳牙膏 to describe someone who provides information or completes tasks in small, slow increments, similar to how one squeezes a tube.
Measure word
zi1支jīExamples
Can you buy a tube of toothpaste and bring it back for me?
The toothpaste is all used up, remember to buy a new tube.
Related words
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
