zuk1竺
Jyutpingzuk1
Yalejūk
Definition
Sincere, true, or deep; also used in classical contexts to refer to ancient India.
- literarysincere; true; deep
- archaicancient India
colloquialdescriptions
How it's used
This character is a specific Cantonese variant used to describe someone who is sluggish, hesitant, or indecisive in their actions. It carries a slightly impatient tone, often used when someone is taking too long to make a decision or complete a simple task. It is distinct from simply being lazy, as it focuses more on the lack of speed and decisiveness in the moment.
Examples
He is very slow and hesitant, he doesn't work efficiently.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 篤, which is used for poking or pointing. While they share the same character in some dictionaries, in spoken Cantonese, 竺 is used specifically for the sense of being slow or dragging one's feet.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Classifier
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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).
