薯仔
syu⁴ zai²
In Cantonese, the word for potato is 薯仔 (syu⁴ zai²). Wiktionary also lists 馬鈴薯 / 马铃薯 (maa⁵ ling⁴ syu⁴).
Meaning: plant tuber eaten as starchy vegetable (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 薯仔 | syu⁴ zai² | |
| 馬鈴薯 / 马铃薯 | maa⁵ ling⁴ syu⁴ | formal |
The term refers to the plant tuber eaten as a starchy vegetable.
What does it mean word for word?
薯仔 is composed of 薯, meaning tuber or starch and 仔, a diminutive suffix meaning small or child, literally meaning 'small tuber'.
Which one should you use?
薯仔 is the common, colloquial way to say potato in daily conversation. In contrast, 馬鈴薯 is a more formal or technical term often used in written contexts or formal settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
馬鈴薯 is reserved for more formal or technical situations.
How do you pronounce it?
syu⁴ zai²
Did you know?
- The formal term 馬鈴薯 contains the character 馬, meaning 'horse', which has no biological or culinary connection to the actual vegetable.
- Cantonese speakers often distinguish between 'sweet potatoes' 番薯 and 'potatoes' 薯仔 by using the prefix 番, which historically referred to foreign things.
- If you use 馬鈴薯 while ordering at a casual street food stall, you might sound unusually stiff or academic.
Examples in context
Example conversation
Ka Ming and Ya Ting are deciding what to cook for dinner.
- 家明 Ka Ming我哋今晚煮薯仔好唔好？ngo5 dei6 gam1 maan5 zyu2 syu2 zai2 hou2 m4 hou2?How about we cook potatoes tonight?
- 雅婷 Nga Ting好呀，我想食薯仔泥。hou2 aa3, ngo5 soeng2 sik6 syu2 zai2 nai4.Sure, I want to eat mashed potatoes.
- 家明 Ka Ming但我哋屋企冇薯仔喎。daan6 ngo5 dei6 uk1 kei2 mou5 syu2 zai2 wo3.But we don't have any potatoes at home.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting咁我而家去買薯仔。gam2 ngo5 ji4 gaa1 heoi3 maai5 syu2 zai2.Then I will go buy some potatoes now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “potato” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
