waak6 waa2畫畫画画
Jyutpingwaak6 waa2
Yalewaahk wá
Definition
To draw or paint a picture; to express reality or imagery using lines and dots.
colloquialdaily actions
How it's used
Unlike the English verb draw which can be transitive or intransitive, 畫畫 is strictly intransitive. If you want to specify what is being drawn, you must use the verb 畫 followed by the object, such as 畫一隻貓. Using 畫畫 with an object directly after it is grammatically incorrect.
Examples
He really likes drawing at home.
Did you ever learn how to draw when you were a kid?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often try to say 畫畫一隻貓, but the correct structure is 畫一隻貓. The reduplicated form 畫畫 functions as a verb phrase that already includes the object, so it cannot take another object.
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.
