Tastes in Cantonese
Hong Kong food runs the full range of flavours, from sweet dessert soups to salted fish. These single-syllable words let you describe exactly what you are eating — and tell the kitchen what you want more or less of.
Make these words stick
Practice with spaced-repetition flashcards or follow our free structured Cantonese course.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say sweet in Cantonese?
甜 (tim4). To ask for less sugar in a drink, say 少甜 (siu2 tim4).
How do you say salty in Cantonese?
鹹 (haam4). Careful — in slang 鹹 can also mean dirty or lewd, so context matters.
How do you say something is delicious in Cantonese?
好味 (hou2 mei6) or 好食 (hou2 sik6) — both are everyday ways to compliment food.
More Cantonese Word Lists
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