麵
min
In Cantonese, the word for noodles is 麵 (min).
麵 refers to a food made from strips of dough that are boiled or fried. While 麵 is the general term, you may encounter specific types such as 雲吞麵 (wonton noodles) or 米粉 (rice noodles).
Which one should you use?
While 麵 is the standard term for noodles, the colloquial term 公仔麵 is used specifically when referring to instant noodles.
How do you pronounce it?
min
When do people say it?
For example, one might specify 雲吞麵 for wonton noodles or 米粉 for rice noodles.
Did you know?
- The colloquial term for instant noodles, 公仔麵, literally translates to 'doll noodles' or 'little man noodles'.
- In Cantonese culture, long noodles are often served at birthday celebrations because their length symbolizes a long and healthy life. Cutting the noodles while cooking or eating them is considered bad luck as it symbolically shortens your life.
- The word 麵 is also used in Cantonese to refer to 'flour' in a general sense, meaning the distinction between the ingredient and the finished noodle dish is often context-dependent.
Examples in context
- 我宵夜食咗公仔麵。I had instant noodles as a midnight snack.This sentence shows how to use 麵 when talking about having instant noodles for a midnight snack.Tatoeba #470277 by nickyeow, translation #324031 by CK
- 一碗麵 (jat1 wun2 min6)A bowl of noodles
- 雲吞麵 (wan4 tan1 min6)Noodles served with wontons (dumplings) in a flavorful broth
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to eat for lunch.
- 美玲 Mei Ling我好想食麵。ngo5 hou2 soeng2 sik6 min6.I really want to eat noodles.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit好啊，附近有間麵舖好出名。hou2 aa3, fu6 gan6 jau5 gaan1 min6 pou3 hou2 chut1 ming4.Sure, there is a famous noodle shop nearby.
- 美玲 Mei Ling係咪嗰間賣牛肉麵嘅舖？hai6 mai6 go2 gaan1 maai6 ngau4 juk1 min6 ge3 pou3?Is it the shop that sells beef noodles?
- 俊傑 Chun Kit係呀，我哋而家過去啦。hai6 aa3, ngo5 dei6 ji1 gaa3 gwo3 heoi3 laa1.Yes, let's go there now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
