wu3惡恶
Jyutpingwu3
Yalewu
Definition
To dislike or detest.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
While 惡 is commonly known to mean fierce or mean, it also functions as a verb meaning to dislike or detest in certain contexts. This usage is more formal or literary than the everyday 唔鍾意, often appearing in compound words like 厭惡. When used as a verb in spoken Cantonese, it can sometimes be confused with its more common adjective sense of being aggressive or bad tempered.
Examples
He really dislikes that person, always targeting others.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this usage with the adjective 惡, which means fierce, mean, or strict. Context is essential to distinguish whether you are describing someone's personality or expressing your own feelings of dislike.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
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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).
