gau2韮
Jyutpinggau2
Yalegáu
Definition
Chinese chives or leeks.
colloquialfood
How it's used
Refers specifically to the long, flat, dark green leaves known as garlic chives. It is almost always used in the compound form 韮菜 in daily speech, as the single character 韮 is rarely used on its own in modern conversation.
Measure word
zaat3紮jatExamples
This plate of stir-fried chives with eggs smells so good.
Do you like eating chive dumplings?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 蔥, which refers to green onions or scallions. While they look somewhat similar in a dish, they have distinct flavors and textures.
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.
