火鍋 / 火锅
huǒguō
In Chinese, "hot pot" is 火鍋 / 火锅 (huǒguō). Wiktionary also lists 涮鍋子 / 涮锅子 (shuànguōzi).
Meaning: communal meal in China (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 火鍋 / 火锅 | huǒguō |
| 涮鍋子 / 涮锅子 | shuànguōzi |
The term refers to the communal meal. To say "eat hot pot," you use the verb 吃 (chī) with the noun, resulting in the phrase 吃火鍋 (chī huǒguō). When preparing the meal, you might use 火锅底料 (huǒ guō dǐ liào), which is the hot pot base or soup base. A common ingredient used is 肉片 (ròu piàn), meaning thinly sliced meat, such as beef or lamb, that cooks quickly in the broth.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 火鍋 (huǒguō) is composed of 火 (fire) and 鍋 (pot).
Which one should you use?
While 火鍋 (huǒguō) refers to the dish itself, 涮鍋子 / 涮锅子 (shuànguōzi) emphasizes the action of 'swishing' or 'rinsing' ingredients in the boiling broth.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The colloquial form 火锅儿 (huǒ guō ér) is especially common in the Beijing dialect.
How do you pronounce it?
huǒguō
Did you know?
- The term 涮 (shuàn) used in 涮鍋子 (shuànguōzi) literally means 'to rinse', comparing the quick cooking of meat to rinsing a garment in water.
- In the Beijing dialect, adding the 'r' sound to create 火锅儿 (huǒ guō ér) is not just for style but signals a more relaxed and local social atmosphere.
- Some traditional versions of 火鍋 (huǒguō) used a divided pot to allow two different soup bases, which is why you might hear people debate which side of the pot is 'superior'.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hot pot” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
