sou3 sik6素食
Jyutpingsou3 sik6
Yalesou sihk
Definition
Vegetarian food, or the practice of eating a vegetarian diet.
neutralfood
How it's used
Refers specifically to the dietary practice or the food itself rather than the person, who is typically called a 素食者. While it covers a broad range of diets, it is most commonly used in Hong Kong to describe restaurants or specific meal options that exclude meat. It is a neutral term that fits well in both casual and formal contexts.
Examples
He really likes going to that vegetarian restaurant to eat.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 齋, which is specifically associated with Buddhist vegetarianism that excludes pungent vegetables like garlic and onions. Using 素食 is a safer, more general term for secular vegetarianism.
Grammar color guide
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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.
