ngaau5 diu6咬掉
Jyutpingngaau5 diu6
Yalengáauh diuh
Definition
To bite off or bite away.
colloquialdaily actionsbody
How it's used
Although 咬掉 is understood, native speakers overwhelmingly prefer 咬斷 for things that snap or break when bitten, or 咬走 when something is removed by biting. Using 咬掉 often sounds like a direct translation from written Chinese or Mandarin. It is most commonly used in descriptions of physical damage or accidents.
Examples
Common phrases
to bite off a piece
Common mistake
Learners often use 咬掉 for everything involving biting, but it sounds unnatural when referring to biting through a solid object like a stick or a piece of bread, where 咬斷 is the standard choice.
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).
