English words from Cantonese
- lawThe body of binding rules and regulations, customs, and standards established in a community by its legislative and judicial authorities.
- laA syllable used in solfège to represent the sixth note of a major scale.
- mamother, mama
- fanA hand-held device consisting of concertinaed material, or slats of material, gathered together at one end, that may be opened out into the shape of a sector of a circle and waved back and forth in order to move air towards oneself and cool oneself.
- kongA set of four identical tiles.
- lolook, see, behold (in an imperative sense).
- sinA violation of divine will or religious law.
- eeAn eye.
- chanAn IRC channel.
- aogrue ("blue or green", considered as one color)
- mahAsserts that there is a straightforward or self-evident reason for something.
- powThe sound of a violent impact, such as a punch.
- kanA Japanese unit of weight, approximately 3.75 kg or 8.267 lb.
- chowFood, especially snacks.
- chengA Chinese surname from Mandarin.
- wahThe red panda.
- ChoiA surname from Chinese [in turn from Cantonese].
- tseThe Cyrillic letter Ц, ц.
- yeeYou (the people being addressed); alternative spelling of ye.
- CheungA surname from Cantonese.
- LeungA surname from Cantonese.
- wokA large, round-bottomed cooking pan used in East Asian cooking.
- KowloonA region, peninsula, and urban area of Hong Kong.
- heaHere.
- mehMediocre; lackluster; unexceptional; uninspiring.
- lorTagged at the end of a sentence to convey a sense of resignation or inevitability.
- ChiuA surname from Cantonese.
- wantonUndisciplined, unruly; not able to be controlled.
- YimA surname.
- yipA sharp, high-pitched bark.
- ChauA surname.
- LeongA Chinese surname from Cantonese.
- TsuiA surname.
- LukA surname.
- YeungA surname from Cantonese.
- muiChinese plum
- mogwaiA kind of demon held to be harmful to humans.
- ShekA surname from Cantonese.
- SetoA surname.
- churA strong voicing of agreement, approval, or thanks: awesome!, cheers!, ta!, thanks!.
- SzeA Chinese surname from Cantonese.
- NganA surname from Cantonese.
- soongIn American Chinese cuisine, minced meat or vegetables.
- ShumA surname.
- cheyExpression of dismissal following an unmet expectation.
- WanchaiA former district of Victoria, Hong Kong, United Kingdom.
- kumquatA small, orange citrus-like fruit which is native to Asia (Citrus japonica, syn. Fortunella japonica).
- jukSynonym of congee.
- laanwholesaler, especially of fresh food
- wontonA Chinese dumpling, often stuffed with varieties of meat or seafood and vegetables.
- LantauSynonym of Lantau Island.
- jyutpingA romanisation system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK).
- hoisinA sauce made from soy, garlic, chili etc, used in Chinese cooking
- jomafemale group leader in orientation camps
- kaitoA small motorized ferry or sampan that serves mostly remote islands.
- dootDoubt.
- PuntiA group of people who moved to Hong Kong during the Song Dynasty.
- chioCute, pretty.
- LammaSynonym of Lamma Island.
- loquatAny member of the species Eriobotrya japonica of trees (Japanese medlar, Chinese plum, Japanese plum).
- jobamale group leader in orientation camps
- pungA low box-like sleigh designed to be pulled by one horse.
- longanAn evergreen tree, Dimocarpus longan, of the Sapindaceae family, native to southern China.
- jookTo dodge; to move quickly to avoid something or to hide; to dart away.
- SzetoA surname from Cantonese.
- kowtowTo kneel and bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground.
- YanpingA district of Nanping, Fujian, China.
- fanlingAn inexperienced fan.
- souchongAny of several varieties of aromatic black tea from China.
- KeemunA variety of Chinese black tea.
- chiongTo rush or charge, usually to do, complete or obtain something, or to get to a particular place.
- Ah LongLoan shark
- A Kung NgamAn area and village in Shau Kei Wan, Eastern district, Hong Kong.
- Ap Lei ChauAn island of Southern district, Hong Kong.
- AuyeungA Chinese surname from Cantonese.
- bing suttA traditional Cantonese shop selling cold drinks and sometimes light meals, found mainly in Hong Kong.
- bo leiSynonym of pu'er (“a kind of tea”)
- cha chaan tengA restaurant typically with eclectic and affordable menus, featuring Hong Kong-style cuisine, originating from Hong Kong.
- Chai WanAn area of Eastern district, Hong Kong.
- champoyA snack made from preserved yangmei or sometimes tamarind.
- Chek ChuSynonym of Stanley (“a coastal town and area in Southern district, Hong Kong”).
- Cheok KaA village in Taipa, Macau.
- cheong funA Cantonese form of steamed rice noodle roll.
- Cheung ChauAn island of Islands district, New Territories, Hong Kong.
- Cheung Sha WanAn area of Sham Shui Po district, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
- ChiuchowRelating to the Chaoshan region of China and/or its people.
- Choong WanA former district of Victoria, Hong Kong, United Kingdom.
- choy sumA Chinese vegetable, a variety of Brassica rapa parachinensis subspecies, similar to bok choy but slimmer, with smooth green leaves and pale green stems, and clusters of flowers on the tips of the inner shoots.
- ChuhoiSynonym of Zhuhai: the Cantonese-derived name.
- Chung Yeung FestivalSynonym of Double Ninth Festival.
- Dai DiA Chinese card game where the number two cards are the most powerful in the deck.
- dai pai dongA kind of open-air food stall.
- Da Jiu FestivalA Taoist ritual and festival for requesting peace and harmony in a locality.
- dim sumA Cantonese-style meal traditionally eaten in the morning or early afternoon, comprising tea and food typically placed in small steamer baskets or on small plates, and often served from carts that move around from table to table in a restaurant.
- fan-tanA Chinese gambling game in which coins or other small objects are placed upon a table, usually under a cup, and the players bet as to what remainder will be left when the sum of the counters is divided by four.
- fat choya blue-green alga (Nostoc flagelliforme) used as a vegetable in Chinese cooking
- Fat ShanSynonym of Foshan.
- FatshanSynonym of Foshan: the Cantonese-derived name.
- fokistaff
- foo yungA Chinese omelette dish usually made with meat and vegetables.