lai6 zi1荔枝

Jyutpinglai6 zi1

Yalelaih jī

名詞Uncommon

Definition

Lychee; a sweet, juicy fruit with red skin, white flesh, and a seed inside.

colloquialfood

How it's used

Eating too many lychees is often jokingly referred to as causing heatiness, known as 上火. It is a seasonal fruit that appears in early summer, and people often distinguish between premium varieties like 桂味 and 糯米糍 based on the texture of the flesh and the size of the pit.

Measure word

nap1粒nāp

Examples

ni1呢di1啲lai6荔zi1枝hou2好tim4甜，nei5你sik6食do1多gei2幾nap1粒laa1啦。

These lychees are very sweet, have a few more.

nei5你zung1鍾m4唔zung1鍾ji3意sik6食lai6荔zi1枝aa4呀？

Do you like eating lychees?

Common phrases

sik6食lai6荔zi1枝

eat lychees

mok1剝lai6荔zi1枝hok3殼

peel lychee skin

Common mistake

Learners often confuse the measure word for individual fruits with the general classifier for objects. While you might use 個 for many things, small round fruits like 荔枝 specifically take 粒.