無麩質
mou4 fu1 zat1
The English phrase "gluten free" is translated into Cantonese as 無麩質 (mou4 fu1 zat1).
無麩質 is used to describe food that does not contain the protein gluten. If you want to refer to a "gluten-free diet", you can say 無麩質飲食 by adding 飲食 (jam2 sik6), which means "diet" or "eating", to the end of the phrase.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 無麩質 is composed of 無 (mou4) meaning "without", 麩 (fu1) meaning "wheat/gluten" and 質 (zat1) meaning "substance/matter".
Which one should you use?
You may also use the alternative phrase 唔含麩質 (m4 ham4 fu1 zat1) to explicitly state that a food item "does not contain gluten".
How do you pronounce it?
mou4 fu1 zat1
Did you know?
- The character 麩 (fu1) specifically refers to wheat bran in traditional contexts, meaning the word for 'gluten' is derived from the outer shell of the grain rather than the protein itself.
- When ordering at a dim sum restaurant, stating 無麩質 may not be enough, as many soy-based sauces use wheat as a thickener and are not perceived as 'wheat' by the staff.
- While 無麩質 is the formal standard, in casual Hong Kong Cantonese, people might more commonly ask if a dish is 'gluten-free' using the English loanword during ordering.
Examples in context
- 呢度有無無麩質麵包？nei1 dou6 jau5 mou5 mou4 fau1 zat1 min6 baau1?Does this place have gluten free bread?
- 我想食無麩質嘅餐點。ngo5 soeng2 sik6 mou4 fau1 zat1 ge3 caan1 dim2.I want to eat a gluten free meal.
- 呢款餅係無麩質嘅。nei1 fun1 beng2 hai6 mou4 fau1 zat1 ge3.This kind of biscuit is gluten free.
Example conversation
Jun Kit and Mei Ling are looking at a menu in a cafe.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit美玲，你有冇睇到無麩質嘅嘢食？Mei Ling, nei jau mou tai dou mou fu zat ge je sik?Mei Ling, did you see any gluten free food?
- 美玲 Mei Ling有呀，呢個沙律係無麩質嘅。jau aa, ni go saa lat hai mou fu zat ge.Yes, this salad is gluten free.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit好，咁我就叫呢個。hou, gam ngo zau giu ni go.Great, I'll order this one then.
- 美玲 Mei Ling好嘅，我陪你一齊叫。hou ge, ngo pui nei jat cai giu.Okay, I'll order it with you.
