鴨 / 鸭
aap³
The Cantonese word for duck is 鴨 / 鸭 (aap³).
The term refers to the aquatic bird of the family Anatidae.
Meaning: aquatic bird of the family Anatidae (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, the term ngaap (鴨) is commonly used to refer to a duck.
How do you pronounce it?
aap³
Did you know?
- In Cantonese slang, 鴨 is used to describe a male escort or a 'gigolo' who is hired by women.
- In the context of 'Siu Mei' (roast meats), 鴨 (aap³) often implies a very specific roasting technique involving air-drying and glazing that differs from other poultry.
- The character 鴨 (aap³) contains the 'bird' radical on the left, which is a common visual marker for many avian species in written Cantonese.
Examples in context
- 有冇人想食烧鴨呀？(Jau5 mou5 jan4 soeng2 sik6 siu1 ngaap3 a1?)Does anyone want to eat roasted duck?
- 燒鴨Roast duck
Sources
- Wiktionary, “duck” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
