nou5 hok3腦殼脑壳
Jyutpingnou5 hok3
Yalenóuh hok
Definition
Skull or head.
colloquialbody
How it's used
Refers specifically to the hard cranium rather than the brain itself. While it can be used literally to describe the bone, it is frequently used in idiomatic or slightly derogatory ways to refer to someone's head when questioning their intelligence or common sense.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
He hit his skull when he fell, luckily he is fine.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 腦袋, which refers to the brain or the mind. Using 腦殼 to talk about someone's thoughts or intelligence sounds more physical and blunt, similar to saying someone has a thick skull.
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.
