sik6 juk6食慾食欲
Jyutpingsik6 juk6
Yalesihk yuhk
Definition
Appetite; the desire to eat food.
neutralhealthfood
How it's used
While this term is understood in spoken Cantonese, it carries a slightly formal or clinical tone compared to everyday expressions. People often prefer to describe their state more directly using phrases like 唔想食嘢 or 冇胃口. It is most commonly encountered in health contexts or when discussing medical symptoms.
Examples
The weather is so hot lately that I have absolutely no appetite.
Are you sick? Why do you have no appetite today?
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 胃口, which is the far more natural and common way to talk about appetite in daily life. Using 食慾 in casual conversation can sound like you are reading from a medical report.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
