Nobody points at pictures in Hong Kong
Walk into a bustling dim sum hall in Mong Kok at 9am and the trolley aunties are calling out dish names at auctioneer speed. Tourists point. Locals speak. After this guide, you'll speak.
Every phrase below comes with the real Cantonese name, Jyutping romanization, and a memory hook. Spend one minute per phrase — that's all it takes.
The Big Four (memorize these first)
1. 蝦餃 — haa1 gaau2 — "har gow" (shrimp dumpling) The translucent-skinned king of dim sum. If you learn only one word, make it this one.
2. 燒賣 — siu1 maai6 — "siu mai" (pork & shrimp siu mai) Hong Kong style comes four to a basket, topped with crab roe. Different from the Japanese shūmai!
3. 叉燒包 — caa1 siu1 baau1 — "cha siu bao" (BBQ pork bun) Say it fast, three syllables, like a drum fill: cha-siu-bao.
4. 腸粉 — coeng2 fan2 — "cheung fun" (rice noodle roll) Silky rice rolls with sweet soy sauce. Hong Kong's default breakfast.
Level up: five more that impress locals
5. 蛋撻 — daan6 taat1 — "dan tat" (egg tart) — the perfect finish. 6. 鳳爪 — fung6 zaau2 — "fung jaau" (phoenix claws = chicken feet) — order this and watch the staff's eyebrows rise in respect. 7. 蘿蔔糕 — lo4 baak6 gou1 — "lo bak go" (turnip cake) — pan-fried, crispy edges. 8. 流沙包 — lau4 saa1 baau1 — "lau sa bao" (molten custard bun) — bite carefully, it erupts. 9. 楊枝甘露 — joeng4 zi1 gam1 lou6 — "yeung ji gam lou" (mango pomelo sago) — the dessert Hong Kong exported to the world.
The magic phrase: ordering
10. 唔該，一籠蝦餃。— m4 goi1, jat1 lung4 haa1 gaau2. "Excuse me, one basket of har gow, please."
唔該 (m4 goi1) is the single most useful word in Hong Kong — it means both "please/excuse me" and "thank you (for a service)". Use it everywhere.
Learn them with audio — free, 1 minute
Reading romanization only gets you halfway: Cantonese is a tonal language, and haa1 (shrimp) said with the wrong tone can raise eyebrows. Our free audio lessons let you hear each phrase and repeat it — no app download, no signup:
👉 Free 1-minute Dim Sum Cantonese lesson
Traveling with kids? Even better — children pick up the tones faster than adults. See our parent's guide to Cantonese for kids.
日本語版はこちら: 飲茶で使える広東語3選
Related reading: 茶餐廳粵語生存指南（中文） · 香港街市粵語：買餸講價（中文）
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