shumai

S1H4U1M3A1I1

noun

A traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum.

OriginJapanese 焼売 ← Cantonese 燒賣 /烧卖 →
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Meanings

nounshumai (plural shumai or shumais)

plural shumais · alternative shao mai · alternative shaomai · alternative shui mai · alternative shu mai · alternative shūmai · alternative sui maai · alternative Malaysia Singapore siew mai · alternative Malaysia Singapore siu mai · alternative Malaysia Singapore siumai · alternative Philippines Taiwan siomai

  1. CanadaUSA traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum.

    Hot and sour soup, shrimp toast, shumai, General Tso’s chicken, pork with garlic sauce, beef with asparagus, hot and spicy shrimp, sushi deluxe, cheesecake, fried bananas, litchi sherbet.

    2009 May 31, Joanne Starkey, “Old-School Chinese With Efforts at Fusion”, in New York Times

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
siomai

Origin

  1. Cantonese燒賣 /烧卖
  2. Japanese焼売
  3. Englishshumai

Borrowed from Japanese 焼売 (shūmai), from Cantonese 燒賣 /烧卖 (siu¹ maai⁶⁻²).

More words from Japanese, Cantonese

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 燒賣 /烧卖
  • 燒賣 /烧卖a traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Chinese Mandarin 燒賣 /烧卖
  • 燒賣 /烧卖 (shāomài)a traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Dutch siew maai, sieuw mai
  • siew maaia traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
  • sieuw maia traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
French shaomai
  • shaomaia traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Indonesian siomai, siomay
  • siomaia traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
  • siomaya traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
  • somaya traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Italian shumai
  • shumaia traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Japanese 焼売
  • 焼売 (shūmai)a traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Korean 사오마이, 시우마이
  • 사오마이 (saomai)a traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
  • 시우마이 (siumai)a traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Malay siumai
  • siumaia traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Polish shumai
  • shumaia traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Russian шумай
  • шумай (šumaj)a traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Spanish shaomai
  • shaomaia traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Tagalog siyomay, siomai
  • siyomaya traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
  • siomaia traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Thai ขนมจีบ
  • ขนมจีบ (kà-nǒm-jìip)a traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Vietnamese xíu mại
  • xíu mạia traditional steamed Chinese pork dumpling served in dim sum
Cite this entry
APA

shumai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shumai

MLA

“shumai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shumai. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shumai,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shumai.

Source: shumai on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.