ngat6阢
Jyutpingngat6
Yalengaht
Definition
Uneasy, anxious, or apprehensive.
colloquialemotion
How it's used
This word is almost exclusively used in the reduplicated form 阢阢, typically following the word 心 to describe a state of nervous anticipation or anxiety. It carries a specific nuance of feeling unsettled or having a premonition that something might go wrong. You will rarely encounter it as a standalone character in modern spoken Cantonese.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 鬱鬱, which relates more to feeling depressed or stifled. Remember that 阢阢 specifically targets the feeling of anxiety or unease in the heart.
Grammar color guide
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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.
