About
The character "唔" is structurally composed of the mouth radical paired with the component "吾", which offers phonetic approximation while its semantic association with self-referential speech, as "吾" means "I", suggests a link to vocal expression. Etymologically, this character appears in later Chinese textual records, where it was utilized in vernacular contexts and regional dialects, particularly those in the south, transitioning from earlier instances that may have involved phonetic transcription or interjectional uses into a dedicated negative particle conveying "not". This consolidation of meaning into a grammatical negation marker represents a narrowing from its potential broader applications, anchoring it firmly within colloquial linguistic frameworks without substantial semantic diversion over time.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我唔係學生。
我今日唔去學校。
佢話佢唔識游水。
你點解唔早啲講呢？
我唔明白你嘅意思。
佢唔單只遲到，重冇做功課。
我唔係好確定去唔去得成。
你唔好以為唔出聲就冇人知。