hang6 jan4杏仁
Jyutpinghang6 jan4
Yalehahng yàhn
Definition
Almond, or sweet and bitter apricot kernels.
- apricot kernel, including both sweet and bitter varieties
- almond
colloquialfood
How it's used
Distinguishing between 南杏 and 北杏 is crucial in Cantonese cooking, as they are almost always used together in soups and desserts. 南杏 is sweeter and used for flavour, while 北杏 is bitter and used for its medicinal properties. People often use the term 杏仁 to refer to both, but they are technically different types of apricot kernels rather than the western almond.
Measure word
nap1粒nāpRelated words
Common mistake
Many learners confuse 杏仁 with the western almond, which is technically 扁桃. While 杏仁 is used as the translation for almond in many dictionaries, in a traditional Chinese kitchen, it specifically refers to apricot kernels.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
