zi3 ngaam4致癌
Jyutpingzi3 ngaam4
Yaleji ngàahm
Definition
Carcinogenic; tending to cause or induce cancer.
neutralhealth
How it's used
Often used in news reports or health advice to describe substances or habits that increase cancer risk. Unlike formal written Chinese where it might appear as a standalone adjective, in spoken Cantonese it frequently functions as a verb phrase paired with 嘅 or 㗎 to emphasize the potential danger.
Examples
Eating too much of these processed foods can easily cause cancer.
Do you know which chemicals are carcinogenic?
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.
