tong1 seoi2湯水汤水
Jyutpingtong1 seoi2
Yaletōng séui
Definition
Cantonese-style soup, typically home-made for family members.
colloquialfoodhealth
How it's used
This term carries a strong connotation of care and nourishment, often implying that the soup has been slow-cooked for hours with specific health-promoting ingredients. It is rarely used for quick, thin soups or restaurant-style broth, focusing instead on the restorative, home-cooked aspect. Using this word suggests a sense of comfort and family connection that simple words like 湯 do not capture.
Measure word
bou1煲bōuExamples
I came home after work today, and Mom made some lovely soup for me.
You have been staying up late lately, remember to drink more soup to nourish yourself.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with any kind of soup, but using it for a quick bowl of instant noodle soup or a thin miso soup sounds unnatural. It is specifically reserved for the traditional Cantonese slow-boiled soups meant for health and wellness.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
