zaa2 dau2渣斗
Jyutpingzaa2 dau2
Yalejá dáu
Definition
Weak, useless, or incompetent.
colloquialpeopleslang
How it's used
Often used to describe someone who lacks physical stamina, mental resilience, or basic competence in a task. It carries a stronger sense of disappointment or mild contempt compared to simply saying someone is weak. It is frequently applied to people who fail at simple challenges or give up too easily.
Examples
You are so useless, how can you accomplish big things?
This teammate is really trashy, they always hold us back.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 渣, which is a common adjective for low quality or poor performance. While 渣斗 is a specific slang term for being useless or weak, 渣 is much broader and can describe anything from bad food to poor service.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
