士多啤梨
si⁶ do¹ be¹ lei²
The English word strawberry is 士多啤梨 (si⁶ do¹ be¹ lei²) in Cantonese. Wiktionary also lists 草莓.
Meaning: accessory fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 士多啤梨 | si⁶ do¹ be¹ lei² |
| 草莓 |
The word refers to the accessory fruit known as a strawberry.
What does it mean word for word?
士多啤梨 is a phonetic transliteration of the English word 'strawberry'.
Which one should you use?
士多啤梨 is a phonetic transliteration and is the most common way to say strawberry in spoken Cantonese. 草莓 is the formal written form used in literature or on menus.
How do you pronounce it?
si⁶ do¹ be¹ lei²
Did you know?
- In Hong Kong, using the phonetic 士多啤梨 is so dominant that using the formal 草莓 in casual conversation can sound overly poetic or like a dubbed movie.
- Cantonese speakers often use the word 啤 in 士多啤梨 to mimic the English 'b' sound, but this character is also used to transliterate 'beer' in other contexts.
- The word 士多啤梨 uses the character 士, which typically means 'scholar' or 'soldier', to represent the first syllable of 'strawberry', purely for its sound.
Examples in context
Example conversation
At a fruit stall in the market.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit呢啲士多啤梨好新鮮喎。ne1 di1 si6 do1 be1 lei4 hou2 san1 san1 wo3.These strawberries are very fresh.
- 美玲 Mei Ling係呀，啱啱到貨嘅。hai6 aa3, ngaam1 ngaam1 dou3 fo3 ge3.Yes, they just arrived.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit我想買一盒士多啤梨。ngo5 soeng2 maai3 jat1 hap6 si6 do1 be1 lei4.I want to buy a box of strawberries.
- 美玲 Mei Ling好嘅，等我幫你攞。hou2 ge3, dang2 ngo5 bong1 nei6 lo2.Okay, let me get them for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “strawberry” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
