ngaan4顏颜
Jyutpingngaan4
Yalengàahn
Definition
A person's face, countenance, or facial appearance.
writtenbodydescriptions
How it's used
Literary and formal, this character is rarely used in everyday spoken Cantonese as a standalone word for face. It almost exclusively appears as part of compound nouns like 容顏 or 顏面. Using it in casual conversation can sound overly poetic or archaic.
Examples
Look at how haggard her face has become.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to refer to the physical body part in daily life, as 面 or 面口 are the standard colloquial terms. Using 顏 in a casual context will make you sound like you are reciting a classical poem.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
