sik1 sou3色素
Jyutpingsik1 sou3
Yalesīk sou
Definition
Pigment, colorant, or food coloring used to add color to other substances.
neutralfoodother
How it's used
Primarily used in the context of food science or manufacturing to describe additives that alter appearance. It is rarely used to describe the natural color of an object, for which 顏色 is the standard term. When discussing health, it is common to distinguish between 天然色素 and 人工色素.
Measure word
zung3種jungExamples
These candies have a lot of artificial pigments added.
Will you add food coloring when you make the cake?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 顏色, which refers to the general concept of color. Using 色素 to describe the color of a shirt or a painting sounds unnatural and technically incorrect.
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.
