痛風 / 痛风
The Cantonese word for gout is 痛風 / 痛风.
痛風 / 痛风 is the term used to express the arthritic disease gout.
Meaning: arthritic disease (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 痛風 / 痛风 is composed of 痛 (pain) and 風 (wind).
Which one should you use?
痛風關節炎 is a formal term used to refer to gouty arthritis, whereas 痛風 / 痛风 refers to gout generally.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, 痛風 / 痛风 is the term used to express gout.
Did you know?
- In Cantonese culture, 痛風 is often jokingly associated with 'rich man's disease' because it is linked to high-protein diets and alcohol. This is a social stereotype reflecting the historical rarity of the foods that trigger the condition.
- In traditional Chinese medicine, the 'wind' in 痛風 is thought to represent a shifting, unpredictable force that causes pain to move between different joints.
- Because 風 can mean 'wind' or 'stroke' in a medical context, saying 痛風 requires clear tone and context to avoid confusion with other 'wind-related' ailments. A mispronunciation might lead a listener to think of a neurological issue rather than arthritis.
Examples in context
- 對唔住，你講嘅係痛風？Excuse me, did you mean gout?
- 有腫脹同紅咗Swelling and redness are present.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gout” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
