燒肉 / 烧肉
siu¹ juk⁶
The English phrase "roast pork" is 燒肉 / 烧肉 (siu¹ juk⁶) in Cantonese.
Meaning: pork cooked by roasting (noun)
Which one should you use?
Do not confuse 燒肉 / 烧肉 with 叉燒 (caa1 siu1), which refers to Cantonese BBQ pork (char siu) that is glazed and sweet, rather than the crispy-skinned roast pork.
How do you pronounce it?
siu¹ juk⁶
Did you know?
- In Hong Kong, 燒肉 is frequently served at weddings and celebratory banquets because its golden color and richness symbolize prosperity and wealth.
- The word 燒 (siu1) in 燒肉 literally means 'burn' or 'scorch', which highlights the high-heat technique used to create the signature bubbly, crispy skin.
- The term 燒臘 (siu1 lap6) refers to the entire category of roast meat shops, and the word 臘 (lap6) specifically implies meats that have been cured or dried.
Examples in context
- 我要一份燒肉I would like a portion of roast pork
Sources
- Wiktionary, “roast pork” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
