汁
zap1
In Cantonese, sauce is 汁 (zap1).
The word 汁 (zap1) is used broadly for any liquid, including fruit juice or the liquid part of a dish, not just condiments.
Meaning: liquid condiment (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 汁 (zap1) is a general term for juice or liquid, 醬汁 (zoeng3 zap1) is the specific term used for culinary sauces. The term 醬汁 is a formal way to say sauce used for seasoning or flavoring dishes.
How do you pronounce it?
zap1
Did you know?
- The character 汁 (zap1) can also describe the watery discharge from a wound or a sore in a medical context.
- In some Cantonese slang, 汁 (zap1) can be used metaphorically to refer to the 'juicy' or scandalous details of a piece of gossip.
- The character 汁 (zap1) contains the radical for 'water' on the left, which is common for liquids, but the right side originally referred to the act of squeezing or pressing.
Examples in context
- 呢支醬好鮮美呀！This sauce is delicious!
- 嗰個醬好辣，好正呀！That sauce is spicy and tasty!
- 呢個意粉有好多汁。ni1 go3 ji3 fan6 jau5 hou2 do1 zap1.This pasta has a lot of sauce.
Example conversation
Jun Jie and Ka Yan are eating dinner together.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit嘉欣，呢個汁好正。ga1 jan1, ni1 go3 zap1 hou2 zeng3.Ka Yan, this sauce is great.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan係唔係太辣呀？hai6 m4 hai6 taai3 laat6 aa3?Is it too spicy?
- 俊傑 Chun Kit唔辣，係好甜。m4 laat6, hai6 hou2 tim4.Not spicy, it's very sweet.
- 嘉欣 Ka Yan咁好，我下次再買。gam3 hou2, ngo5 ha6 ci3 zoi3 maai5.That's good, I'll buy it again next time.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
