mui4 lou4煤爐煤炉
Jyutpingmui4 lou4
Yalemùih lòuh
Definition
Coal stove; a coal-burning furnace used for heating or cooking.
colloquialhomedaily actions
How it's used
Refers specifically to the traditional, often portable, coal-burning stoves that were once a staple in Hong Kong kitchens. While modern households have largely switched to gas or electric stoves, the term remains in the collective memory as a symbol of older, simpler times. It is rarely used in a modern context unless discussing history or visiting older rural areas.
Measure word
go3個goExamples
People used to really like using coal furnaces to cook.
Is your family still using a coal furnace?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with modern gas stoves, which are typically referred to as 煤氣爐. Using 煤爐 to describe a modern kitchen appliance will sound very strange to a native speaker.
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.
