sin1 cou2仙草
Jyutpingsin1 cou2
Yalesīn chóu
Definition
Grass jelly, especially as referred to in shops selling Taiwanese-style drinks.
colloquialfooddrink
How it's used
Adopted from Taiwanese Mandarin, this term is almost exclusively used in the context of modern dessert shops and bubble tea chains. Traditional Hong Kong Cantonese speakers typically refer to this ingredient as 涼粉, which is often served in a bowl with syrup or evaporated milk. Using 仙草 signals a preference for the specific texture and presentation found in contemporary beverage culture.
Measure word
fan2份fánExamples
I want a cup of pearl and grass jelly milk tea.
The grass jelly at this shop is very smooth.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 涼粉草, which is the actual plant used to make the jelly. In a traditional Hong Kong dessert shop, asking for 仙草 might confuse the staff, so stick to 涼粉 unless you are at a Taiwanese-style drink shop.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
