火鍋 / 火锅
fo² wo¹
Hot pot in Cantonese is 火鍋 / 火锅 (fo² wo¹). Wiktionary also lists 打邊爐 / 打边炉 (daa² bin¹ lou⁴).
Meaning: communal meal in China (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 火鍋 / 火锅 | fo² wo¹ |
| 打邊爐 / 打边炉 | daa² bin¹ lou⁴ |
The term refers to a communal meal in China. While 火鍋 / 火锅 is the standard noun, the colloquial expression 打邊爐 / 打边炉 is frequently used as a verb phrase meaning 'to eat hot pot'.
What does it mean word for word?
The colloquial term 打邊爐 / 打边炉 literally means 'hitting the edge of the stove'.
How do you pronounce it?
fo² wo¹
Did you know?
- The word 爐 in 打邊爐 can also refer to a furnace or a kiln. This connects the domestic act of eating hot pot to the industrial history of ceramics and metalwork in the region.
- A 火鍋 meal is often seen as a symbol of unity and equality. Because everyone shares from one central pot, it is a common setting for business negotiations or family reconciliations in Cantonese society.
- The term 打邊爐 is frequently used in Cantonese pop songs and cinema to evoke a feeling of nostalgic, old-school Hong Kong domesticity.
Example sentences for Cantonese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hot pot” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
