zi1 zaa1吱喳
Jyutpingzi1 zaa1
Yalejī jā
Definition
To chatter noisily; to talk excessively or be talkative.
colloquialpeoplecommunication
How it's used
Describes the sound of birds chirping or people talking incessantly in a high pitched or annoying manner. It implies a sense of triviality or lack of substance in the conversation. Often used to describe children or groups of people who cannot stay quiet.
Examples
They are always chattering away there, so noisy.
Related words
Common phrases
chattering incessantly
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe serious or formal discussions, as it carries a dismissive tone that suggests the speech is merely noise or gossip.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
