tau4 cek3頭刺头刺
Jyutpingtau4 cek3
Yaletàuh chek
Definition
Headache; a throbbing or sharp pain in the head.
colloquialhealthbody
How it's used
Headache is almost exclusively expressed as 頭痛 in standard Cantonese. Using 頭刺 is extremely rare and often sounds like a direct translation or a non-native attempt to use a more literary term for pain. Stick to 頭痛 for all everyday situations to sound natural.
Examples
My headache is really severe today.
Related words
Common phrases
having a very bad headache
Common mistake
Learners often try to use 刺 to describe pain because it sounds like a sharp sensation, but it is not used for headaches. Always use 痛 for any kind of physical pain in the head.
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.
