sang1 bou2生埗
Jyutpingsang1 bou2
Yalesāng bóu
Definition
Unfamiliar, strange, or unacquainted.
colloquialdescriptionspeople
How it's used
Describes a feeling of being in an environment or situation that is new and lacks comfort or familiarity. It is frequently used to explain why someone might be hesitant, awkward, or slow at a task when they are just starting out. Unlike the Mandarin term 陌生, which is broader and can apply to people you have never met, 生埗 is almost exclusively used for places, jobs, or new social settings.
Examples
I just moved here, so I am very unfamiliar with the surroundings.
It is perfectly normal to feel unfamiliar since it is your first time doing this job.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not use this to describe a person you have never met before. While you might feel 生埗 in a new social circle, you would describe a stranger as 陌生人 instead.
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.
