乳酪
jyu⁵ lok³
In Cantonese, yogurt is 乳酪 (jyu⁵ lok³).
乳酪 refers to a milk-based product thickened by a bacterium-aided curdling process. While it is the standard term for yogurt, it is also frequently used to refer to cheese in certain contexts, though 芝士 is the more common term for Western-style cheese.
Meaning: a milk-based product thickened by a bacterium-aided curdling process (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 乳 (milk) and 酪 (curd/cheese).
How do you pronounce it?
jyu⁵ lok³
Did you know?
- If you are looking for yogurt in a supermarket, you might see it labeled as 酸奶 (literally 'sour milk') in some Cantonese-speaking regions or contexts, similar to Mandarin usage.
- The character 酪 has historical roots in describing various fermented or thickened milk products across different Chinese cultures long before modern yogurt was popularized.
- The character 乳 in 乳酪 is a more formal or classical way to say 'milk' compared to the very common colloquial term 奶.
Examples in context
- 呢隻乳酪醬邊有啲人講到咁好食唧！This yogurt dip is completely overrated!This sentence shows how to use 乳酪 when referring to a yogurt dip.Tatoeba #6944707 by nickyeow, translation #6582658 by Eccles17
- 你鍾意邊隻牌子嘅乳酪呀？What's your favorite brand of yogurt?This sentence demonstrates asking about a brand of 乳酪.Tatoeba #1899480 by fercheung, translation #906703 by CK
- 我想買一盒乳酪。ngo5 soeng2 maai5 jat1 haap6 jyu5 lok6.I want to buy a cup of yogurt.
Example conversation
At a supermarket, Junkit and Mei Ling are choosing snacks.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit美玲，你想食乳酪嗎？mei5 ling4, nei5 soeng2 sik6 jyu5 lok6 maa1?Mei Ling, do you want to eat yogurt?
- 美玲 Mei Ling好呀，不過我想食草莓味嘅。hou2 aa3, bat1 gwo3 ngo5 soeng2 sik6 cou2 mei1 wai3 ge3.Yes, but I want the strawberry flavor.
- 俊傑 Chun Kit呢度有草莓味嘅乳酪。nei1 dou6 jau5 cou2 mei1 wai3 ge3 jyu5 lok6.There is strawberry yogurt here.
- 美玲 Mei Ling得喇，就買呢盒啦。dak1 laa3, zau6 maai5 nei1 hap6 laa1.Okay, let's buy this one.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “yogurt” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
