fo2 seoi2 lou4火水爐火水炉

Jyutpingfo2 seoi2 lou4

Yalefó séui lòuh

名詞

Definition

A kerosene stove used for cooking.

colloquialhomefood

How it's used

Evokes a strong sense of nostalgia for older generations in Hong Kong who lived in resettlement areas or squatter huts during the mid 20th century. It is rarely seen in modern urban households today due to the widespread availability of gas and electricity. The term is often used in stories about the past to highlight how much living conditions have improved.

Measure word

go3個go

Examples

ji5以cin4前uk1屋kei2企go3個fo2火seoi2水lou4爐seng4成jat6日dou1都jiu3要jap6入fo2火seoi2水。

Back in the day, the kerosene stove at home always needed to be refilled with kerosene.

nei5你zung6仲jung6用gan2緊fo2火seoi2水lou4爐zyu2煮faan6飯aa4呀？hou2好ngai4危him2險㗎gaa4喎。

Are you still using a kerosene stove to cook? It is very dangerous.

Common phrases

jap6入fo2火seoi2水

to refill kerosene

fo2火seoi2水mei2味

smell of kerosene

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with a gas stove, which is usually referred to as 煤氣爐 or 石油氣爐. Using this word to describe a modern stove will cause confusion as it refers specifically to the old fashioned wick based kerosene burners.