蓮花 / 莲花
lin⁴ faa¹
The English word "lotus" is 蓮花 / 莲花 (lin⁴ faa¹) in Cantonese.
蓮花 / 莲花 specifically refers to the flower, while the word 蓮 (lin4) alone is often used to refer to the entire plant or the lotus root in culinary contexts.
Meaning: plant of the genus Nelumbo (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 蓮 (lin4), meaning lotus and 花 (faa1), meaning flower.
Which one should you use?
To refer specifically to the edible lotus root, use 蓮藕 (lin4 au2). The word for lotus in Cantonese is 荷花.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
蓮花 / 莲花 is the formal equivalent of lotus in Cantonese.
How do you pronounce it?
lin⁴ faa¹
Did you know?
- In Cantonese, the phrase 出淤泥而不染 is often used when discussing the 蓮花, meaning 'to emerge from the slime without being stained'. It is a common idiom for maintaining integrity in a corrupt environment.
- There is a linguistic overlap where 荷 and 蓮 can both refer to the lotus, but 荷 is more frequently associated with the large leaves, while 蓮 focuses on the seed and flower.
- Cantonese speakers use the term 蓮子 (lotus seed) to refer to a common dried ingredient used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat insomnia and heart palpitations.
Example sentences for Cantonese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lotus” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
