saai1 din6嘥電嘥电
Jyutpingsaai1 din6
Yalesāai dihn
Definition
To waste electricity.
colloquialhomedaily actions
How it's used
This term is a classic example of the Cantonese suffix 嘥, which functions as a verb meaning to waste or squander. It is frequently used in household contexts to scold family members for leaving appliances running unnecessarily. The construction is highly flexible and can be applied to almost any resource, such as 嘥錢 for money or 嘥時間 for time.
Examples
Leaving the light on when not using it is such a waste of electricity.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin term 浪費, which is formal and rarely used in casual speech. Using 浪費 in a relaxed conversation with friends can sound stiff or overly serious.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- 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.
