荔枝
lai⁶ zi¹
To say lychee in Cantonese, use 荔枝 (lai⁶ zi¹), the name of the fruit.
荔枝 names the fruit itself and also its flavor, for example in drinks like bubble tea.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
It is the usual word for lychee in Guangdong province and Hong Kong.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced lai⁶ zi¹, with a low level tone on the first syllable and a high level tone on the second.
Did you know?
- Because the fruit is highly perishable, the historical delivery of 荔枝 to the imperial court involved a relay of fast horses to ensure the fruit arrived fresh.
- The character 荔 itself is not a standard character used in most other contexts in Cantonese. It is a 'specialized' character that almost exclusively exists to serve the name of this specific fruit.
- In Cantonese culture, 荔枝 is often associated with romance and passion because its bright red skin and sweet flesh symbolize love.
Examples in context
- 呢啲荔枝好甜。ni1 di1 lai6 zi1 hou2 tim4.These lychees are very sweet.
Example conversation
Two friends are at a fruit market.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting志強，你想唔想試下荔枝？Zi3 koeng4, nei5 soeng2 bat soeng2 si3 haa6 lai6 zi1?Zi Qiang, do you want to try some lychees?
- 志強 Chi Keung好呀，我想買一盒。hou2 aa3, ngo5 soeng2 maai5 jat1 hap6.Sure, I want to buy a box.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting呢啲荔枝係新鮮嘅。ni1 di1 lai6 zi1 hai6 san1 sin1 ge3.These lychees are fresh.
- 志強 Chi Keung正喎，我哋買呢啲啦。zeng3 wo3, ngo5 dei6 maai5 ni1 di1 laa1.Great, let's buy these.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lychee” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
