zaa2笮
Jyutpingzaa2
Yalejá
Definition
Inferior, trashy, or of poor quality.
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
Used primarily to describe physical objects that are poorly made or of low quality. It carries a strong sense of disdain, implying the item is not worth the money or effort spent on it. While it can apply to various goods, it is most frequently heard when complaining about cheap clothing or flimsy household items.
Examples
The material of this shirt is so trashy, it falls apart after two washes.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin usage of similar characters, as this specific Cantonese slang is highly regional and informal. It is strictly an adjective for quality and should not be used to describe people or abstract concepts.
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.
