Comparle

Mandarinblind wordpeople

sajiao

撒娇sah-JYOW[sa˥ tɕjaʊ˥]

acting sweet, coy or petulant to get attention or your way

Closest in English: pouting, whining, wheedling. None of them covers it.

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The story

Sa is to let loose and jiao is delicate or pampered: a child pulling at a parent's arm for sweets, or an adult putting on the same voice for a partner. Among couples it is often read as affection rather than weakness. English has wheedling, which sounds far less charming.

How it went in the game

Contains the answers. If you want to play the word yourself first, leave this closed.

  1. Which language is it from?Mandarin
  2. Who does it?A child tugging a sleeve for sweets
  3. Where would you hear it?A couple, one voice gone baby-soft
  4. What does it mean?Acting cute to get your way

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