gaan2 seoi2梘水枧水
Jyutpinggaan2 seoi2
Yalegáan séui
Definition
Lye water used in cooking, or soapy water.
- lye water used as a food additive
- soapy water
colloquialfooddim sum
How it's used
Refers specifically to the alkaline solution used in cooking to give noodles or dumplings their characteristic texture and color. While the character 梘 is historically associated with soap, in modern culinary contexts it is almost exclusively used to describe this food additive. It is distinct from household cleaning agents, so ensure you are purchasing the food grade version for recipes.
Measure word
zi1支jīExamples
You must add lye water when making alkaline rice dumplings.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with soap for washing hands or clothes, even though the character 梘 is the same. Using industrial soap in food is dangerous, so always check the label for food safety.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
