wu1 zeot1 zeot1烏黢黢乌黢黢
Jyutpingwu1 zeot1 zeot1
Yalewū jēut jēut
Definition
Pitch-black, dark, or dirty.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
This reduplicated adjective emphasizes an intense, almost unnatural level of darkness or dirtiness. It carries a slightly informal, descriptive tone that paints a vivid picture of something being completely obscured by shadow or covered in grime. Use it when you want to highlight that a space is uncomfortably dark or an object is visibly filthy.
Examples
The room is pitch black, turn the light back on.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with simple black, as it specifically implies a lack of light or a layer of dirt rather than the colour itself. It is not used to describe the colour of objects like clothes or hair in a neutral sense.
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.
