凍 / 冻
dung³
The Cantonese word for cold is 凍 / 冻 (dung³).
凍 / 冻 is used to describe something that has a low temperature.
Meaning: having a low temperature (adj)
Which one should you use?
The term 寒冷 is a formal expression for cold that emphasizes a stronger sense of coldness.
How do you pronounce it?
dung³
Did you know?
- In Cantonese slang, 'cold' or 'frozen' can sometimes imply that a joke or a situation has 'died' or failed to land, leaving a silence.
- In Hong Kong, the concept of 'cold' is often linked to 寒氣 or 'cold energy', a traditional belief that coldness can enter the body and cause illness.
- When talking about a person's personality, Cantonese speakers use 冷淡 rather than 凍 to describe someone who is 'cold' or indifferent.
Examples in context
- 我好凍I am very cold
- 冷唔到死啦，但都好凍啦！Not freezing to death, but still quite cold!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cold” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
