syu4薯

Jyutpingsyu4

Yalesyùh

Common

Definition

Tuber, such as a potato or yam.

colloquialfood

How it's used

While 薯 refers to tubers in general, it is almost never used alone in daily speech to mean potato. You should use 薯仔 instead, as the suffix 仔 adds the necessary specificity for the common vegetable. When referring to other tubers like sweet potatoes, you must add the specific type, such as 番薯.

Measure word

go3個go

Examples

ngo5我soeng2想maai5買di1啲syu4薯zai2仔faan1返heoi3去bou1煲tong1湯。

I want to buy some potatoes to make soup.

nei5你zung1鍾m4唔zung1鍾ji3意sik6食zaa3炸syu4薯tiu2條aa4呀？

Do you like eating french fries?

Common phrases

zaa3炸syu4薯tiu2條

french fries

syu4薯pin2片

potato chips

Common mistake

Beginners often mistakenly use 薯 to refer to a potato in a sentence, but this sounds incomplete or like a category rather than the specific ingredient. Always use 薯仔 for the vegetable itself.