意粉
ji3 fan2
In Cantonese, pasta is said as 意粉 (ji3 fan2).
意粉 refers to a dish or a serving of pasta.
Meaning: dish or serving (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 意 (ji3), which is short for 意大利 (Italian) and 粉 (fan2), meaning 'flour' or 'powdered noodles'.
Which one should you use?
The full name for the dish is 意大利粉 (ji3 lei6 dai6 fan2), but it is commonly shortened to 意粉 in daily speech.
How do you pronounce it?
ji3 fan2
Did you know?
- The word 粉 in 意粉 can also refer to 'powder' in a cosmetic sense, meaning the same character used for pasta is also used for face powder.
- In Hong Kong cafes, you will often find 意粉 served with a slice of buttered toast on the side, a colonial-era fusion custom not found in Italy.
- In some Cantonese-speaking regions, people might use the term 通粉 (tung1 fan2) to refer specifically to macaroni, distinguishing it from other shapes of 意粉.
Examples in context
- 呢碗意粉好豐富。ni1 wun2 ji3 fan1 hou2 fung1 fu3.This bowl of pasta is very rich.
Example conversation
At a small Italian restaurant.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung子健，你想食咩？zi2 gin6, nei5 soeng2 sik6 me1?Zi gin, what do you want to eat?
- 子健 Tsz Kin我想食呢份意粉。ngo5 soeng2 sik6 ni1 fan6 ji3 fan1.I want to eat this serving of pasta.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung好呀，我亦都想食意粉。hou2 aa3, ngo5 jik6 dou1 soeng2 sik6 ji3 fan1.Okay, I also want to eat pasta.
- 子健 Tsz Kin噉我哋一齊嗌啦。gam2 ngo5 dei6 jat1 cai4 aai3 laa1.Then let's order them together.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
