洋蔥 / 洋葱
joeng⁴ cung¹
The Cantonese word for onion is 洋蔥 / 洋葱 (joeng⁴ cung¹). If unsure, use 洋蔥 / 洋葱. Wiktionary also lists 洋蔥頭 / 洋葱头 (joeng⁴ cung¹ tau⁴).
Meaning: bulb (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 洋蔥 / 洋葱 | joeng⁴ cung¹ |
| 洋蔥頭 / 洋葱头 | joeng⁴ cung¹ tau⁴ |
The term 洋蔥 / 洋葱 refers to the bulb onion. The generic character 蔥 serves as a root for various types of alliums, including scallions and spring onions. For example, the character 葱 is used to refer to green onions or scallions.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 洋蔥 literally translates to 'foreign onion' or 'Western onion', where 洋 means foreign or oceanic and 蔥 means onion or scallion.
How do you pronounce it?
joeng⁴ cung¹
Did you know?
- The character 洋 in 洋蔥 was historically used to categorize many imports from Europe and America, such as 'foreign beds' 洋床 or 'foreign carpets' 洋毯.
- Cantonese has a specific term 蔥花 for the finely chopped bits of scallion used as a garnish, a usage that does not apply to the bulbous 洋蔥.
- The 'foreign' prefix in 洋蔥 historically distinguished this bulb from the indigenous green onions used in traditional Cantonese cooking.
Examples in context
- 可唔可以切返啲葱落汤入面？Could you please chop some green onions for the soup?
- 佢唔鍾意洋蔥嘅味道She doesn't like the taste of onions.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “onion” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
