Cantonese on Ivan: Thinking

Halloween in Cantonese

Sun, 18 Oct 2026 17:59:51 -0700

Here are some Halloween words in Cantonese.

	English	Cantonese	Jyutping
🎃	Pumpkin	南瓜	naam4 gwaa1
🌾	Pumpkin patch	南瓜園	naam4 gwaa1 jyun4
🦇	Halloween	萬聖節	maan6 sing3 zit3
🧛	Costume	面具	min6 geoi6
💀	Skeleton	骷髏骨	fu1 lou4 gwat1
👻	Ghost	鬼	gwai2
🕷️	Spider	蜘蛛	zi1 zyu1

#cantonese

How to Dim Sum

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:53:33 -0700

Offer elders to sit away from the aisle and closer to the wall. Maybe this is a subtle tactic to steer them away from being able to pay (see below).

Do not use your own chopsticks to grab things from communal dishes. Instead, use the communal chopsticks.

If you must use your own chopsticks to grab something from a communal plate for some reason (maybe there are no communal chopsticks or they haven’t come to the table yet), you can use the back side of your chopsticks since that side has not been in your filthy mouth yet.

If your teapot runs out of tea, you can take the lid and place it off to the side of the pot to signal to staff that you need a refill. If it’s a metal teapot, just keep the lid open.

If you’re at a place where they have staff pushing carts around, the cart person can be aggressive in getting you to accept something from their cart. If you’re unsure, they may say something like “It’s really good, you should try it!” Just a polite “no thank you” and/or a shake of the head is a good response.

Dim sum is not an all-you-can-eat buffet.

If you see others at the table, especially elders, who have empty tea cups, get the teapot and pour tea in their cup; and then, always lastly pour for yourself.

When someone pours tea for you, tap your index finger near your teacup to give thanks.

Eat the chicken feet.

If something’s too hard to grab with your chopsticks (it’s slippery or irregular shaped), sometimes it’s just easier to stab things with your chopsticks instead.

If there’s a lazy susan, don’t turn it if someone else is already turning it.

Fight to pay the check. Lose. Be upset that you lost.

The pro move is: going to the bathroom, paying the check on the way back, and making others upset that you paid without them knowing.

Take all the leftovers home: there’s no shame in it, and they make great leftovers. Wetter foods (like chicken feet, you got those, right?) should be in separate containers from dry foods (like buns).

“If you have any dignity, apologize to the rice right now!”

#food #cantonese

Colors in Cantonese

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:10:26 -0700

Here are the names of colors in Cantonese.

English	Cantonese	Jyutping
Red	紅色	hung4 sik1
Orange	橙色	caang2 sik1
Yellow	黃色	wong4 sik1
Green	綠色	luk6 sik1
Blue	藍色	laam4 sik1
Purple	紫色	zi2 sik1
Pink	粉紅色	fan2 hung4 sik1
Brown	啡色	fe1 sik1
Grey	灰色	fui1 sik1
Black	黑色	hak1 sik1
White	白色	baak6 sik1
Gold	金色	gam1 sik1
Silver	銀色	ngan4 sik1

#cantonese

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival for Clueless ABC’s

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 16:10:51 -0700

The Story

A long time ago, there were 10 suns in the sky and the world was pretty hot: dead crops, dry rivers, just pretty bad for everyone. A guy named Hou Yi (后羿) was an archer and shot down 9 of those hot suns. Phew, only 1 sun now. Great! For being so awesome, he got the Elixir of Immortality from the Queen Mother of the West.

Even though he had the Elixir of Immortality, Hou Yi decided he didn’t want to live forever without his wife, Chang’e (嫦娥) whom he loved—like, a lot. He didn’t drink it and just kept it hidden at home.

Hou Yi had a disciple, Pang Meng, who was not a cool guy: y’know, greedy and wicked. One day, Hou Yi was out hunting and Pang Meng went to Hou Yi and Chang’e’s home and tried to steal the Elixir of Immortality.

Ah, but Chang’e was home and didn’t want the Elixir of Immortality to fall into the wrong hands, so she swallowed it. Her body became super light and she floated up into the sky and up up up and… TO THE MOON 🌕. She was separated from Hou Yi forever, doh!

Hou Yi was super sad, and on the night of the full moon, he laid out Chang’e’s favorite foods and fruits and gazed up at the moon and prayed for her. Folks saw Hou Yi and were so impressed by his devotion and bummed by the tragic love story so they started a new meme where every year they’d offer mooncakes and look at the moon too 🥮.

On the moon, Chang’e hangs out with a jade rabbit who pounds herbs with a mortar and pestle to make the Elixir of Life.

The Lesson

Alright, so it’s no Disney happy ending, but the story reflects themes of sacrifice, love, loss, and reunion—which is why the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is such an emotional and family-oriented holiday. When people gaze at the moon during the festival, they often think of their loved ones far away, just like Hou Yi looking to the moon for Chang’e.

Now you know why we gaze at the moon and eat those yummy mooncakes each year. Hou-mei ah!

The Words

中秋節 - Mid-Autumn Festival
后羿 - Hou Yi
嫦娥 - Chang’e (sounds more like “Soeng Ngo” in Cantonese)

#reflection #cantonese

Hong Kong

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Foods

Tsui Wah: Hong Kong style cafe with milk tea. Chain.
Tim Ho Wan: BBQ Pork Buns are a MUST. This is a chain, so you can likely find another shop; I liked how hole-in-the-wall this place is. Michelin Star rated 🌟
Xin Dau Ji: A bit of a fancy place with a great view of the Hong Kong side from Kowloon. If you’re there when the light show is on, they’ll turn out the lights in the restaurant to get a better look at the show. Suckling pig!
Tasty Congee: If you’re shopping in Sha Tin, this is a good little place to get wonton noodles or any kind of noodles. Yum.
House of Jasmine: A fancier place for dim sum in Harbour City. If you wander around the mall after eating, you may be able to spot some Invader art too.

Shopping

Apliu Street Flea Market: Electronics and gadgets. Great place to watch salesmen at their craft: do they ever stop talking for a sip of water? Great for geeks. Lots of highly specialized sellers. There’s a vendor who only sells magnets! 🧲
Temple Street Night Market: Random assortment of things. I got myself a fake Bao Bao Issey backpack here. Fun little stroll to go through in the evening.
Sam’s Tailor: Get yourself a fully custom suit made in 24 hours! I got 2 suits and a shirt made for $7000HKD.

Things to see and do and places to go

Big Buddah / Lantau Island
Victoria Peak
Ferry
Ride a Dingding
Morning exercise at Kowloon park
Suicide Cliff Hike

Where to stay

Novotel Hotel: On the Kowloon side, close to Temple Street

#food #travels #cantonese