33.10 Vocabulary: Commenting on Food II

Degree Words

We put a degree word before an adjective.

Degree WordAdjective
好好食very delicious
hou2hou2 sik6
verydelicious
有少少怪a bit strange
jau5 siu2 siu2gwaai3
a bitstrange
太鹹too salty
taai3haam4
toosalty
1.好hou2very
2.勁ging6strongly
3.超ciu1super
4.幾gei2quite
5.太taai3too; so
6.有啲jau5 di1a bit
7.有少少jau5 siu2 siu2a little bit
8.夠gau3enough
9.唔m4not
10.唔係好m4 hai6 hou2not very
11.唔係幾m4 hai6 gei2not quite
12.唔係太m4 hai6 taai3not too
13.唔夠m4 gau3not enough

Positive Adjectives

14.好食hou2 sik6delicious (for food, literally ‘good + to eat’)
15.好飲hou2 jam2delicious (for drinks or soup, literally ‘good + to drink’)
16.好味hou2 mei6delicious (for food, literally ‘good + taste’)
17.正zeng3awesome (colloquial)
18.唔錯m4 co3not bad (⚠️ can be used without a degree word)
19.特別dak6 bit6special
20.新鮮san1 sin1fresh (often for seafood)
21.脆ceoi3crispy
22.腍nam4soft, tender (often for meat)
23.滑waat6smooth, tender (often for fish or chicken)
24.香hoeng1smelling good; delicious
Note: We usually use 香 hoeng1 to mean ‘delicious’ when the food has good flavors from spices or oil, especially when it’s cooked by deep-frying, stir-frying or pan-frying.
25.入味jap6 mei6flavor well-absorbed (literally ‘to go in’ + ‘taste’)
Note: When meat is simmered, it absorbs the flavors of the sauce and other ingredients, resulting in a rich and strong taste. We call this 入味 jap6 mei6.

We usually use the adjectives below with the noun 味 mei6 (‘taste’).

啲味好濃。
di1 mei6 hou2 nung4.
The taste is thick.

26.濃nung4thick, strong
27.夾gaap3matching well
28.啱啱好ngaam1 ngaam1 hou2just right (⚠️ not used with degree words)

Negative Adjectives

29.麻麻哋maa4 maa2 dei2so-so (⚠️ not usually used with degree words)
30.怪gwaai3strange, weird
31.難食naan4 sik6not delicious (for food) (literally ‘difficult + to eat’)
32.難飲naan4 jam2not delicious (for drinks) (literally ‘difficult + to drink’)
33.淡taam5bland, tasteless
34.油jau4greasy
35.韌ngan6stringy, difficult to chew
36.老lou5stringy (often for overcooked food)
37.硬ngaang6hard
38.嚡haai4rough, not smooth
39.乾gon1dry
40.濕sap1wet
41.腥seng1fishy (for fish with an unpleasant smell or taste)
42.燶nung1burnt

Neutral Adjectives

43.鹹haam4salty
44.甜tim4sweet
45.酸syun1sour
46.苦fu2bitter
47.辣laat6spicy
48.甘gam1the sweetish taste in tea or ginseng
49.生saang1raw
50.熟suk6cooked
51.熱jit6hot
52.凍dung3cold

Culture

We sometimes compare different experiences in life to different tastes in food. We can use the term 甜酸苦辣 tim4 syun1 fu2 laat6 (‘sweet + sour + bitter + spicy’) to refer to these different experiences in life.

Made with in Hong Kong.

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