蘑菇
mo⁴ gu¹
In Cantonese, the word for mushroom is 蘑菇 (mo⁴ gu¹).
The term refers to the fruiting body of a fungus. You may also encounter terms like 菇湯 for mushroom soup.
Meaning: fruiting body of a fungus (noun)
Which one should you use?
The standard term is 蘑菇, while 蘑仔 is an informal way to say mushroom. For more specific types, 香菇 refers specifically to dried shiitake mushrooms (literally "fragrant mushroom") and 菇類 is used to refer more broadly to fungus or mushroom species.
How do you pronounce it?
mo⁴ gu¹
Did you know?
- In traditional Cantonese medicine, certain types of 菇類 are classified as 'cooling' or 'heating' foods, which dictates whether they are eaten during specific seasons to balance the body.
- While 香菇 literally means 'fragrant mushroom', in a Cantonese market, this specifically signals that the shiitake has been dried. Fresh shiitake are often categorized differently to indicate texture.
- The structure of the word 蘑菇 uses two characters that are often paired together in Chinese to create a rhythmic, reduplicative-style sound common in many natural object names.
Examples in context
- 你鍾唔鍾意食蘑菇呀?Do you like to eat mushrooms?
- 呢度有好多新鮮蘑菇。nei5 dou6 jau5 hou2 do1 san1 sin6 mo1 gu1There are many fresh mushrooms here.
- 我想買啲蘑菇煮湯。ngo5 soeng2 maai5 di1 mo1 gu1 zyous2 tong1I want to buy some mushrooms to make soup.
Example conversation
At a grocery store in the produce section.
- 志強 Chi Keung曉彤，你想買咩蘑菇？hiu2 tung4, nei5 soeng2 maai5 me1 mo1 gu1?曉彤, what kind of mushrooms do you want to buy?
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung我想買啲白蘑菇。ngo5 soeng2 maai5 di1 baak6 mo1 gu1.I want to buy some white mushrooms.
- 志強 Chi Keung好呀，我幫你拎。hou2 aa3, ngo5 bong1 nei5 ling1.Okay, I will get them for you.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung多謝志強。do1 ze6 zi3 koeng4.Thanks, 志強.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mushroom” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
