waa6 hei3話氣话气

Jyutpingwaa6 hei3

Yalewah hei

Definition

Tone of voice or manner of speaking.

colloquialcommunicationpeople

How it's used

Refers specifically to the attitude or emotion conveyed through one's voice rather than the actual words chosen. It is frequently used when someone sounds aggressive, impatient, or condescending. While similar to 語氣 in formal Chinese, this version is the standard spoken form used in daily life to critique how someone is addressing others.

Examples

keoi5佢gong2講je5嘢go3個waa6話hei3氣hou2好caa1差，hou2好ci5似naau6鬧jan4人gam3咁。

His tone of voice is very bad, it sounds like he is scolding someone.

nei5你ho2可m4唔ho2可ji5以goi2改haa5下nei5你go2嗰go3個waa6話hei3氣aa4呀？

Can you change your tone of voice a bit?

Common phrases

waa6話hei3氣hou2好caa1差

have a very bad tone

waa6話hei3氣m4唔hou2好

have a poor tone

Common mistake

Avoid confusing this with 語氣, which is the standard written term. Using 語氣 in casual speech might sound slightly stiff or overly formal to native speakers.