kiu2藠
Jyutpingkiu2
Yalekíu
Definition
Chinese onion (Allium chinense).
colloquialfooddim sum
How it's used
Often pickled in sweet vinegar, this vegetable is a classic side dish served in Cantonese restaurants. It is almost exclusively referred to as 蕎頭 in a culinary context rather than just 蕎. The crunchiness is its most prized quality, making it a popular palate cleanser alongside rich or oily dishes.
Measure word
dip2碟dípCommon mistake
Learners often mistake the character 蕎 for other similar looking characters, but it is specifically used for this vegetable. Ensure you use the full term 蕎頭 when referring to the food item, as 蕎 alone is rarely used in daily speech.
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.
