caa4 ci4茶匙

Jyutpingcaa4 ci4

Yalechàh chìh

名詞

Definition

Teaspoon; a small spoon used for stirring drinks or eating desserts, with a capacity of about 5 ml.

neutralfooddrink

How it's used

While technically referring to the specific 5ml measurement, people often use this term loosely for any small spoon used for stirring or desserts. It is distinct from a soup spoon, which is usually larger and deeper. In casual settings, you will hear people use 匙羹 as the general term for any spoon, reserving 茶匙 for when the specific size or the act of measuring is relevant.

Measure word

zek3隻jek

Examples

nei5你bong1幫ngo5我gaa1加loeng5兩caa4茶ci4匙tong4糖lok6落bui1杯gaa3咖fe1啡dou6度laa1啦。

Please add two teaspoons of sugar to my coffee.

le1呢zek3隻caa4茶ci4匙gam3咁sai3細，dim2點joeng2樣sik6食dou3到wun2碗faan6飯aa4呀？

This teaspoon is so small, how am I supposed to eat a bowl of rice with it?

Common phrases

jat1一caa4茶ci4匙

one teaspoonful

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with a soup spoon, which is the standard tool for eating noodles or rice in Hong Kong. Using a tea spoon to eat a full meal is considered impractical and might draw funny looks.