faa1 zi1花枝
Jyutpingfaa1 zi1
Yalefā jī
Definition
Cuttlefish, especially when used as a cooking ingredient.
colloquialfooddim sum
How it's used
Refers specifically to the cuttlefish used as a culinary ingredient in Hong Kong. While technically a type of cephalopod, the term is almost exclusively encountered in menus, wet markets, or supermarkets rather than in a biological context. It is frequently associated with processed items like fish balls or paste.
Measure word
zek3隻jekExamples
We bought some cuttlefish for hotpot tonight.
Do you prefer eating cuttlefish or cuttlefish balls?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin term for squid, which is also written as 花枝 in Taiwan. In Hong Kong, squid is typically referred to as 魷魚, and using 花枝 to mean squid will cause confusion.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
