香蕉
hoeng¹ ziu¹
The English word "banana" is 香蕉 (hoeng¹ ziu¹) in Cantonese. Wiktionary also lists 蕉 (ziu¹).
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 香蕉 | hoeng¹ ziu¹ |
| 蕉 | ziu¹ |
The word refers to the edible fruit of the banana plant.
Which one should you use?
香蕉 is the full, standard noun for the fruit, whereas 蕉 is often used as a component or suffix in the names of specific banana varieties or other banana-related plants.
How do you pronounce it?
hoeng¹ ziu¹
Did you know?
- In Cantonese slang, 香蕉人 ('banana person') refers to a person of Chinese ethnicity who has become fully Westernized, suggesting they are 'yellow on the outside and white on the inside'.
- In Cantonese, the word 蕉 is used in the term 蕉慮 to create a pun on 焦慮 ('anxiety'), often used in internet memes to describe the stress of modern life.
- In traditional Cantonese medicine and dietetics, 香蕉 is categorized as a 'cold' food, meaning it is often avoided by people with 'cold' constitutions to maintain bodily balance.
Examples in context
- 2021年11月8號朝早8點前喺咖啡館，我坐喺度飲緊冰綠茶同食緊香蕉麵包。前枱坐咗個菲律賓女人用手機講緊塔加洛文。一個着住藍灰衫嘅啡色頭髮大男人喺櫃檯度等緊。 喺我返屋企嘅路上，經過一個黑衣啡髮女仔同一個黑衣啡髮男仔，佢哋大叫：「佢哋覺得世界語似小提琴多啲 …… 」Before 8 o'clock in the morning of the 8th of November of 2021 at the cafe, I sat drinking iced green tea and eating banana bread. At the front table sat a Filipino woman talking in Tagalog in her cellphone. A big brown-haired man in blue and grey waited at the counter. On my way home, passing by were a brown-haired girl in black and a brown-haired boy in black, who exclaimed, "They think Esperanto is more like a violin…"This sentence uses 香蕉 to describe banana bread.Tatoeba #13106187 by Davidgo5867, translation #10494911 by nonong
- 利馬話佢會帶領野餐去河邊。但係，佢媽咪話佢有個唔好嘅預兆，因為佢發夢同豬肉一齊食，叫佢唔好去。答完唔會落水之後，佢同兩個朋友一齊，將所有細佬妹聚集埋一齊走咗。去到河邊之後，佢用香蕉莖整咗條臨時嘅木筏，跳上船，然後落河。點知，艘筏翻咗，佢跌咗落水，開始浸死咗。佢兩個朋友試過幫手，但係好可惜，佢哋三個都浸死咗。Lima said he would lead the picnic to the river. But, his mom said she had a bad omen as she dreamt of eating with pork and asked him not to go. After replying that he won't go into the water, he, together with two of his friends, gathered all the younger siblings and left. Upon reaching the river, he constructed a make-shift raft from banana stems, hopped onboard and went down river. Somehow, the raft capsized, he fell into the water and started drowning. His two friends tried to help, but unfortunately, all three of them ended up drowning.This sentence uses 香蕉 to describe banana stems.Tatoeba #13107913 by Davidgo5867, translation #13093271 by monsen_sanang_ai
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Meiling and Zikian are preparing a fruit platter in the kitchen.
- 美玲 Mei Ling子健，你幫我切啲香蕉好嗎？zi2 gin6, nei5 bong1 ngo5 cit3 di1 hoeng1 ziu1 hou2 ma2?Zikian, can you help me cut some bananas?
- 子健 Tsz Kin好呀，呢疊香蕉好熟喎。hou2 aa3, ni1 dip6 hoeng1 ziu1 hou2 suk6 wo3.Sure, this bunch of bananas is very ripe.
- 美玲 Mei Ling係呀，所以而家食最正。hai6 aa3, so2 ji4 ji4 ga1 sik6 zeoi3 zeng3.Yes, so it's best to eat them now.
- 子健 Tsz Kin我切好咗，放喺碟度喇。ngo5 cit3 hou2 zo2, fong3 hai2 dip3 dou3 laa3.I've cut them, they are on the plate.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “banana” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
