蜜糖
mat⁶ tong⁴
蜜糖 (mat⁶ tong⁴) is the Cantonese word for honey.
蜜糖 refers to the sweet substance produced by bees.
Meaning: sweet substance produced by bees (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 蜜 (mat⁶), meaning honey/nectar and 糖 (tong⁴), meaning sugar/candy.
Which one should you use?
While 蜜糖 is the common term for the food substance, 蜂蜜 is the more formal or scientific term for honey.
How do you pronounce it?
mat⁶ tong⁴
Did you know?
- The word 糖 (tong⁴) in 蜜糖 is used in various names for sweets, but it also appears in the name for 'diabetes', 糖尿病, which literally means 'sugar-urine disease'.
- In some Cantonese idioms, 'sweet' words (甜言蜜語) are described as being like 'honey' to signify flattery or romantic persuasion.
- In Cantonese slang, terms involving 'sugar' or 'sweetness' are frequently used to describe romantic interactions, similar to 'sweet-talking' in English.
Examples in context
- 呢兩個蜜糖冬甩幾多錢呀？How much do these two honey doughnuts cost?This sentence shows how to use 蜜糖 when asking about the price of honey doughnuts.Tatoeba #5735093 by nickyeow, translation #2761815 by mervert1
- 我想喺茶入面加啲蜜糖。ngo5 soeng2 hai2 caa4 jap6 dim2 mat6 tong4.I want to add some honey in my tea.
- 呢罐蜜糖好甜呀。ni1 gun6 mat6 tong4 hou2 tim4 aa3.This jar of honey is very sweet.
Example conversation
At a breakfast table, Mei Ling and Ka Ming are talking about breakfast.
- 美玲 Mei Ling家明，你有冇蜜糖呀？kaa1 ming4, nei5 jau5 mou5 mat6 tong4 aa3?Ka Ming, do you have any honey?
- 家明 Ka Ming有呀，喺櫥櫃入面。jau5 aa3, hai2 cyu4 gwai2 jap6 min6.Yes, it is in the cupboard.
- 美玲 Mei Ling呢啲蜜糖係咪天然嘅？ni1 di1 mat6 tong4 hai6 mai6 tin1 jin4 ge3?Is this honey natural?
- 家明 Ka Ming係呀，係天然嘅。hai6 aa3, hai6 tin1 jin4 ge3.Yes, it is natural.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “honey” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
