搞乜

gǎoniè
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 what are you doing? (Cantonese)
  2. 2 what's going on?

Examples

Nǐ gǎoniè a?
What are you doing? (Cantonese: nei5 gaau2 mat1 aa3)
Gǎoniè guǐ?
What the heck? (Cantonese)
Jīnwǎn gǎoniè?
What's happening tonight? (Cantonese)

Tips

register
(mat1) is the fuller Cantonese word for 'what' — contracted to (me1) in faster speech. 搞乜 and 搞咩 are interchangeable, with 搞乜 feeling slightly more 'written' or emphatic.
mistakes
In Mandarin is read niè and is mostly a surname. Seeing mid-sentence is a clear Cantonese signal — don't pronounce it Mandarin-style in a Cantonese context.

Stroke Order

gǎo
niè