牛油
ngau⁴ jau⁴
The English word "butter" is translated into Cantonese as 牛油 (ngau⁴ jau⁴).
The word refers to the soft foodstuff made from milk.
Meaning: soft foodstuff made from milk (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 牛油 literally translates to "cow oil".
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ngau⁴ jau⁴.
Did you know?
- In Hong Kong, 牛油 is a key ingredient in 'pineapple buns' 菠蘿包, though the buns contain no pineapple and the butter is often a thick, cold slab placed inside.
- The term 牛油 is used even for non-dairy 'butter' substitutes, meaning a vegan butter is still called 'cow oil' regardless of its ingredients.
- While 牛油 is used for dairy butter, the word 'oil' (油) is also used in Cantonese to describe a 'rich' or 'greasy' texture in many non-fat foods.
Examples in context
- 多士永遠都係搽咗牛油嗰便着地。Toast will always land butter-side down.This sentence is useful for describing the side of toast that lands face down when using 牛油.Tatoeba #9536304 by nickyeow, translation #9501197 by casaniere
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ka Hin and Chi Keung are preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan志強，可唔可以幫我攞啲牛油？zi3 koeng4, ho2 m4 ho2 ji5 bong1 ngo5 lo2 di1 ngau4 jau4?Chi Keung, can you help me get some butter?
- 志強 Chi Keung喺雪櫃入面，你睇下有冇。hai2 syut3 gwai3 jap6 min2, nei5 tai2 haa5 jau5 mou5.It's in the fridge, check if it's there.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan搵到喇，我要搽喺多士上面。wan2 dou2 laa3, ngo5 jiu3 caa3 hai2 do1 si2 soeng6 min6.Found it, I want to spread it on the toast.
- 志強 Chi Keung好，記得唔好搽太多牛油。hou2, gei3 dak1 m4 hou2 caa3 tai3 do1 ngau4 jau4.Okay, remember not to spread too much butter.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “butter” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
