Cantonese Dictionary Vol. 113: 10 Cantonese Siu Mei Shop Ordering Phrases Every Hong Konger Uses Without Thinking

October 12, 2026

Hong Kong Cantonese roast meat shop stall in Kowloon with hanging bronze-skinned roast meats

Walk into any Hong Kong siu mei shop at lunch hour and you'll hear a short, clipped vocabulary bouncing between the counter and the chef with the cleaver. It isn't textbook Cantonese. It isn't even full sentences. It's a working language made of five-word commands — the dialect of hungry people who've been queuing since 11:30 and know exactly what they want. These phrases do more than order food: they mark you as a local the moment they leave your mouth.

Here are ten of them — the siu mei counter's native vocabulary, with correct Jyutping, meanings, and the exact way Hong Kongers rattle them off without thinking. Volume 113 of our ongoing Cantonese dictionary. Pair with our full guide to Cantonese siu mei roast meats, and if any of these phrases feels like you — the eater who always asks for extra sauce, the one who always says "to go" — we've turned a few of them into shirts you can wear in the Mami Says collection.

Hong Kong passersby and customers at a street food stall at night with warm lighting — A Hong Kong street food counter at night — the same scene that plays out at siu mei shops across the city — Photo via Pexels

The ten phrases

1. 斬料

zaam2 liu2 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: "Chop me some meat" — the universal way to order from a siu mei counter.

Explanation: The 料 here means "the goods" — the roasted meats hanging in the window. 斬料 is literally the sound of ordering: the chef takes down a duck, char siu, or roast pork, lays it on the block, and starts chopping. In Hong Kong it's also become slang for "picking up some roast meat on the way home" — "我斬啲料返屋企食飯" ("I'll grab some siu mei on the way home for dinner").

In real life: "落班順便斬料返去。" — "I'll pick up some siu mei on the way home after work."

2. 一兩

jat1 loeng5 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: "One tael" — about 37.5 grams, the standard portion unit at a Hong Kong siu mei counter.

Explanation: Siu mei shops don't price by the slice. They price by weight, in Chinese taels (兩 loeng5). One tael is 37.5g in Hong Kong — a few generous slices of char siu, half a slab of roast pork. "一両" or "二兩" is how you set the size of your order. Locals know exactly how heavy their appetite is in taels.

In real life: "二兩叉燒、一兩燒肉,唔該。" — "Two taels of char siu, one tael of roast pork, thanks."

3. 淨食

zing6 sik6 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: "Just the meat" — order the roast on its own, no rice, no noodle base.

Explanation: 淨 means "pure" or "nothing else"; 食 is "to eat". 淨食 is for when you want a plate of char siu to share, or a half duck to carry home. Most Hong Kongers order the meat 配飯 (over rice) because it's cheap and filling. 淨食 is for the family dinner, the drinking crowd, or someone who's already got rice at home.

In real life: "半隻燒鴨淨食、打包。" — "Half a roast duck, no rice, to go."

4. 配飯

pui3 faan6 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: "Over rice" — the HK$40 lunchbox version of whatever you ordered.

Explanation: 配 means "paired with"; 飯 is rice. 配飯 turns 斬料 into a complete meal: a mound of white rice with slices of siu mei on top, a ladle of 汁 (jus) poured over, maybe some blanched 菜心 on the side. This is the office-worker lunch of Hong Kong — eaten in ten minutes at a counter stool.

In real life: "叉燒配飯,多汁。" — "Char siu over rice, extra sauce."

If the "鬼馬" (ghost horse — resourceful, cunning) way to order a lunchbox is a lifestyle you recognise, we made a 鬼馬 Ghost Horse tee for you.

5. 肥嘅

fei4 ge3 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: "The fatty cut" — the half-fat, half-lean part of the char siu or roast pork.

Explanation: Siu mei connoisseurs know the real prize is 半肥瘦 (half fat, half lean). Ask for 肥嘅 and the chef will aim his cleaver at the marbled, caramelised strip near the belly — the part with the glaze, the melt, and the collagen. Vegetarians look away. Hong Kongers of a certain age fight for this cut.

In real life: "切肥啲嘅叉燒,唔好淨瘦。" — "Cut me the fatty char siu, not the lean-only."

6. 瘦嘅

sau3 ge3 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: "The lean cut" — the opposite of 肥嘅.

Explanation: Not everyone wants the fat. 瘦嘅 is for parents cutting back on cholesterol, kids who dislike the texture, or anyone wanting the clean rose-pink interior of a char siu without the glazed belly. A good siu mei chef won't argue — the pork shoulder has lean sections too, and he'll slice them off for you specifically.

In real life: "媽咪話要瘦嘅,佢唔食肥。" — "Mum says she wants the lean cut, she doesn't eat the fatty bits."

A Hong Kong siu mei vendor at work preparing roasted duck — The chef chops to order — every cut specified by the customer in five syllables or fewer — Photo via Pexels

7. 多汁

do1 zap1 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: "Extra sauce" — more of the glossy pan drippings over your rice.

Explanation: The 汁 is the pooled jus from the roasting trays — a mix of soy, sugar, star anise, and rendered fat that collects at the bottom. Pour it over rice and the whole plate goes glossy and dark. 多汁 is the most common upsell at a siu mei counter: free, filling, and the thing that separates a dry lunchbox from a satisfying one.

In real life: "燒鴨飯多汁,謝謝。" — "Roast duck over rice, extra sauce, please."

8. 加底

gaa1 dai2 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: "Extra base" — more rice or noodle underneath.

Explanation: 底 means "the bottom" — the rice or noodle layer under your topping. 加底 adds a few dollars and a lot more carbs. It's the Hong Kong tradie's lunch call: a long morning on a construction site, a short break, and the knowledge that one portion of rice isn't going to see him through the afternoon.

In real life: "燒肉飯加底、多汁。" — "Roast pork rice, extra rice, extra sauce."

9. 走蔥

zau2 cung1 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: "Hold the scallion" — no spring onion garnish on the dish.

Explanation: 走 is the siu mei shop's word for "leave out". 走蔥 skips the chopped scallion scattered over the top. 走青 (skip the greens) is the broader version. The structure extends: 走冰 (no ice), 走甜 (unsweetened), 走油 (no oil). One syllable — the ingredient you don't want — and the kitchen complies.

In real life: "油雞飯走蔥,小朋友食唔到。" — "Soy sauce chicken rice, hold the scallion, the kid can't eat it."

10. 打包

daa2 baau1 — Jyutping romanisation

Meaning: "To go" — pack it up to take home.

Explanation: Literally "to tie up" — a reference to the old practice of wrapping food parcels in paper and string. Today it means a foam box or a plastic bag. 打包 is also used at restaurants for leftovers, and the whole exchange is wrapped (sometimes literally) in a culture that hates wasting food. In the siu mei queue it's the final line before you pay — "二兩叉燒、一兩燒鴨、打包". Three cuts, one bag, two minutes.

In real life: "全部打包,媽咪喺屋企等緊。" — "Pack it all up, mum's waiting at home."

Why these ten matter

A siu mei shop is one of the only places in Hong Kong where the language of ordering has resisted a hundred years of English and Mandarin pressure. You can run a modern cha chaan teng in half-English. You cannot ask for 走蔥 or 加底 in any other language and get what you want. The vocabulary belongs to the counter — and the counter is one of the last Cantonese-only rooms in the city.

If you grew up with a mother who ordered this way, who knew exactly which 兩 was enough for the family and which cut your dad liked, these phrases probably live in your muscle memory. We honour that whole language of home-cooked love in our 食飯 Dinner is Ready embroidery tee — the two Cantonese syllables that end every call home. For char siu lovers specifically, there's also the 叉燒 Char Siu oversized tee, worn by people who know that "半肥瘦,多汁,加底" is a love letter in food.