Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Glowering, surly-looking: Describes a facial expression or demeanor that is sullen, gloomy, or ill-tempered, often showing irritation or a bad mood without speaking.
   • Grumpy, cross: Indicates a state of being easily annoyed or in a bad temper, reflected in one's appearance.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Anh ấy có khuôn mặt càu cạu mỗi sáng trước khi uống cà phê. (He has a glowering face every morning before drinking coffee.)
  • Đừng nhìn càu cạu như vậy, có chuyện gì sao? (Don't look so surly like that, is something wrong?)
  • Tính nết càu cạu của ông ấy khiến mọi người khó tiếp cận. (His grumpy disposition makes him hard to approach.)

Advanced Usage

• "mặt mày càu cạu": A common collocation emphasizing a very sullen or scowling facial expression.
  • Sao mặt mày càu cạu thế? Hôm nay đi làm không vui à? (Why do you look so glowering? Did you have a bad day at work?)

Variants and Related Words

• Càu nhàu (verb): To grumble, to complain in a low, irritable voice. While "càu cạu" describes a look or mood, "càu nhàu" describes the action of muttering complaints.
  • Ông cụ càu nhàu về thời tiết. (The old man grumbled about the weather.)

Synonyms

• Cáu kỉnh: Irritable, quick-tempered (focuses more on the irritable character than the facial expression).
• Gắt gỏng: Snappy, short-tempered (focuses on sharp, irritable speech or reaction).
• Nhăn nhó: To grimace, to make a displeased face (focuses on the contorted facial action).

Notes on Usage

• "Càu cạu" is primarily used to describe a non-verbal state—a person's facial expression, look, or general mood that is visibly sour or displeased. It is less about verbal anger and more about the appearance of being in a bad mood.
• It is an adjective and is often used directly before nouns like "mặt" (face) or "tính" (disposition), or after verbs like "nhìn" (to look) or "trông" (to appear).
• The word is informal and descriptive, commonly used in spoken Vietnamese.

adj

1. Glowering, surly-looking
   • mặt càu cạu
     a glowering face
   • nhìn càu cạu
     to look surly