牛扒
ngau⁴ paa²
The English phrase steak is 牛扒 (ngau⁴ paa²) in Cantonese.
牛扒 refers to a slice of beef.
Meaning: slice of beef (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
牛扒 is commonly used in Hong Kong.
How do you pronounce it?
ngau⁴ paa²
Did you know?
- The character 扒 is also used in Cantonese to mean 'to scrape' or 'to peel', showing how many English loanwords are adapted using existing characters.
- The word 扒 can also be used to describe other grilled items, such as 豬扒 for pork steak or 雞扒 for chicken steak.
- In Hong Kong tea restaurants, 'Cha Chaan Teng' culture often features a 'steak' that is heavily processed with gravy, differing significantly from the dry-aged Western standards.
Examples in context
- 今晚我哋去食肉扒好唔好？Shall we go eat steak tonight?
- 呢份牛扒好大嚿。ni1 fan6 ngau4 paa4 hou2 daai6 gau3.This steak is very large.
Example conversation
At a restaurant, they are deciding what to order.
- 美玲 Mei Ling你今日想食咩呀？nei5 gam1 jat6 soeng2 sik6 me1 aa3?What do you want to eat today?
- 子健 Tsz Kin我想食牛扒。ngo5 seong2 sik6 ngau4 paa4.I want to eat steak.
- 美玲 Mei Ling好呀，我叫個通粉。hou2 aa3, ngo5 giu3 go3 tung1 fan2.Okay, I will order pasta.
- 子健 Tsz Kin好，即刻叫啦。hou2, zik1 hak1 giu3 laa1.Great, let's order now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “steak” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
