nou5腦脑
Jyutpingnou5
Yalenóuh
Definition
Brain; the central organ of the nervous system located in the head.
colloquialbodypeople
How it's used
Using 腦 to refer to someone's intelligence or mental capacity is extremely common in daily life. It often appears in idiomatic expressions regarding memory or focus, such as 腦袋一片空白 when someone forgets everything instantly. While it literally refers to the organ, it is frequently used metaphorically to describe someone's ability to process information or their common sense.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He uses his brain to think all the time, so he gets tired easily.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using 腦 as a direct translation for mind in abstract contexts. For mental states or moods, Cantonese speakers prefer using 心 or 心情 instead of 腦.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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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).
