seng2 m4 hei2醒唔起
Jyutpingseng2 m4 hei2
Yaleséng m̀h héi
Definition
Unable to recall; cannot remember.
colloquialdaily actionscommunication
How it's used
Focuses on the sudden realization that information is temporarily inaccessible in the mind. It is specifically used for facts, names, or events that you know you should know but cannot retrieve at that exact second. It carries a slightly more casual and frustrated nuance than the standard 唔記得.
Examples
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 唔記得, which is a general statement of forgetting something entirely. 醒唔起 implies a tip of the tongue phenomenon where the memory is there but blocked.
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.
