Bat po 🔊

Usage examples

• 八婆，唔好成日搬弄是非！
  Bitch, stop stirring up trouble all day!
• 佢係條八婆，講晒人壞話。
  She is such a bitch — she does nothing but badmouth everyone.
• 邊條八婆咁無禮貌㗎？
  Which bitch is being so rude?

Etymology

Written 八婆 (baat3 po4), literally "eight woman." The character 八 (eight) here is believed to function as an emphatic or contemptuous intensifier in Cantonese slang rather than carrying its literal numeric meaning — a pattern found in other Cantonese expletive compounds. 婆 (po) denotes an older woman or matron, but in this compound it is entirely derogatory. The precise origin of the "eight" intensifier is uncertain; some sources suggest phonetic playfulness, while others attribute it to a historical colloquial construction.

Cultural notes

八婆 (baat3 po4) is one of the most common vulgar insults in Cantonese, used to describe a woman perceived as nosy, gossipy, quarrelsome, or morally loose. It is distinct from 巴婆 (baa1 po4 / Ba po, id 1957), though both are derogatory terms for women and are sometimes conflated in romanisation. 八婆 is particularly associated with the stereotype of a meddlesome, sharp-tongued woman. The term is widespread in Hong Kong colloquial speech and appears regularly in films, television drama, and everyday arguments. It is considered strongly offensive and would be inappropriate in formal or polite contexts.

Same meaning, other languages

Accuracy

96% of 27 voters say this translation is accurate.