faan1 syu2番薯
Jyutpingfaan1 syu2
Yalefāan syú
Definition
Sweet potato; a starchy, sweet root vegetable with different colored varieties.
colloquialfood
How it's used
Beyond its literal meaning as a root vegetable, this term is frequently used as a lighthearted, slightly derogatory nickname for someone who is perceived as slow-witted, naive, or easily fooled. It carries a sense of harmless clumsiness rather than malice. When referring to the vegetable itself, it is often associated with comfort food or traditional street snacks like roasted sweet potatoes sold from carts.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
Eating a piping hot roasted sweet potato in winter is really great.
How many catties of sweet potatoes did you buy to take home?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the Mandarin term 地瓜, which is understood but rarely used in daily Hong Kong speech. Using 地瓜 might sound like you are reading from a textbook rather than speaking natural Cantonese.
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.
