zin6 gaak3賤格贱格
Jyutpingzin6 gaak3
Yalejihn gaak
Definition
Despicable, low-class, shameless, or morally unacceptable.
colloquialpeopleemotion
How it's used
Focuses on a person's character or specific actions that are seen as morally bankrupt or petty. It carries a strong sense of personal disgust and is often used to call out someone for being manipulative, selfish, or lacking basic decency. While it can describe a person, it is frequently used to describe a specific act as being beneath human dignity.
Examples
You act so despicably, who would want to work with you?
He is always badmouthing people behind their backs, he is truly a low-life.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 賤, which can sometimes be used in a playful or self-deprecating way. 賤格 is almost always a serious insult and implies a deep-seated lack of integrity that goes beyond just being cheap or poor.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
