冰
bing¹
The Cantonese word for ice is 冰 (bing¹).
冰 refers to water in its frozen form as a substance. When you want to refer specifically to individual pieces or cubes of ice, you should use the term 冰塊.
Meaning: water in frozen form (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong, 冰 is a common way to express ice.
How do you pronounce it?
bing¹
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, the phrase 冰室, meaning 'ice room', refers to a traditional style of cafe that became popular in Hong Kong after the war.
- The word 冰 is part of the four-character idiom 冰炭同床, which literally means 'sharing a bed of ice and charcoal'.
- When ordering an iced drink, you do not always use 冰, but instead add the character 凍 (cold) before the beverage name.
Examples in context
- 唔好喺冰上面跣親呀。Don't slip on the ice.This sentence is useful for a warning about slipping on 冰.Tatoeba #3364554 by kaenif, translation #3022625 by sharptoothed
- 冰溶嗰陣，就會變返做水。Ice turns back into water when it melts.This sentence describes the process of 冰 melting into water.Tatoeba #616294 by nickyeow, translation #318326 by CK
- 喺1947年10月，水突然由冰川下面排出咗，撕裂埋一段長超過1英里（1.2公里）嘅冰川，並且將一個320呎（100米）深嘅峽谷挖入緊曾經畀冰塊佔據過嘅山谷。In October 1947, water abruptly drained from underneath the glacier, ripping away a section of glacier over 1 mile (1.2 km) in length and gouging a 320 feet (100 m) deep canyon into the valley once occupied by the ice.This sentence describes how a glacier, a form of 冰, can impact a landscape.Tatoeba #12908206 by Matthewyau1367, translation #12366639 by Cangarejo
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are preparing drinks at home.
- 子健 Tsz Kin你有冇冰呀？nei5 jau5 mou5 bing1 aa3?Do you have any ice?
- 美玲 Mei Ling我喺雪櫃度攞啲冰俾你。ngo5 hai2 syut3 gui6 dou6 lo2 di1 bing1 bei2 nei5.I'll get some ice from the freezer for you.
- 子健 Tsz Kin唔該晒，我想飲凍飲。m4 goi1 saai3, ngo5 soeng2 jam2 dung3 jam2.Thanks, I want to drink something cold.
- 美玲 Mei Ling等我攞啲冰同埋水出嚟。dang2 ngo5 lo2 di1 bing1 tung4 maai4 seoi2 ceot1 lai4.Wait, let me get some ice and water out.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ice” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
