In China, you say "sushi" as 寿司 (shòusī), using the same Chinese characters as Japanese but with a different pronunciation, making it sound like "shou-suh," where "shou" rhymes with "low" and "si" is like "suh," though it's often just understood as the loanword for Japanese sushi.
Image showing the Chinese characters 寿司 (shòusī) meaning 'sushi', with pinyin pronunciation. The characters are prominently displayed, along with the romanized pinyin 'shòusī' to aid in pronunciation.
In Chinese, 也 (yě) primarily means "also" or "too," functioning as an adverb to show addition or similarity, placed before the verb or adjective it modifies, as in "Wǒ yě shì" (I am also) or "Tā yě hěn gāoxìng" (He is also very happy). It's a versatile character, used to link subjects/actions that share a characteristic.
While sushi is not as popular in China as it is in Japan, it is still eaten and enjoyed in various forms. The Chinese culinary scene is very diverse and sushi is just one of many dishes.
Today's sushi is most often associated with Japanese culture, though the many variations of sushi can actually be traced to numerous countries and cultures including Japanese, Korean, and Chinese.
Japanese Chinese cuisine, known as chūka ryōri (中華料理; literally "Chinese food") or simply chūka, refers to Japanese-style Chinese dishes and the restaurants in Japan that serve them. It represents a unique fusion of Japanese and Chinese culinary traditions that have evolved since the late 19th century.
"我爱你 is primarily, (I would even venture strictly), used in a romantic context, and very rarely used platonically. However, for expressions of platonic "love" or rather "fondness", we have "我爱你们 is often used for close family or common interest groups.
“Ye” was still a word pronounced “ye”: it's a second person plural subject pronoun, as in “O Come, All Ye Faithful”, or “Hear ye, hear ye.” (But not “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen” which is often wrongly written with “ye”.) The case of Y replacing Þ in “Ye Olde...” is unrelated.
Fun fact: Taylor Swift's name in Chinese is Taile Siweifute 泰勒·斯威夫特, a transliteration of her English name. Her Chinese nickname is Meimei/霉霉, which means something like “unlucky,” although to my knowledge it is only used for Swift and not applied to other unlucky people.
Sashimi may now be considered a classic Japanese dish, but China has its own ancient tradition of consuming raw fish. It's a long history, stretching back as far as the Zhou dynasty (1046 – 256 BCE), with the delicacy becoming increasingly fashionable over the centuries.
Sushi (すし, 寿司, 鮨, 鮓; pronounced [sɯɕiꜜ] or [sɯꜜɕi]) is a traditional Japanese dish made with vinegared rice (鮨飯, sushi-meshi), typically seasoned with sugar and salt, and combined with a variety of ingredients (ねた, neta), such as seafood, vegetables, or meat; raw seafood is the most common, although some may be cooked.
Though Sushi is invented in China but its cultural roots in Japan, it is widely considered most popular in Japan.
し, in hiragana, or シ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both represent /si/ although for phonological reasons, the actual pronunciation is 'shi'. The shapes of these kana originate from 之. Mnemonic 1: Isn't 'she' beautiful?
The dish: Fantuan, China
Of course, we at home were immediately familiar with the product: unsliced rolls of sushi rice and nori, filled with the likes of spicy tuna and teriyaki chicken. You can buy this stuff at every shopping mall in the country.
Chinese people eat a diet high in rice and noodles. In fact, rice is present for most meals, equating to how westerners might eat potatoes. Rice and noodles are always accompanied by a set of individually discernible, incredible flavours.
So, for a beginning reader, it makes sense to teach consonant-y as yee and consonant-w as woo. That gets the jaw thrust forward in the case of the consonant-y sound, and the lips pursed properly in the case of the consonant-w sound, while avoiding the blending problems that yuh and wuh cause.
The pronunciation of 444 (sì) in Chinese is very similar to the word "死" (sǐ), which means death. Consequently, this number combination is considered to have inauspicious connotations. In Chinese culture, people typically avoid using this number, especially in contexts related to life and death.
Jo san (pronounced: Joe Sun!)
You'll hear this a lot as a visitor to Hong Kong, mainly from your security guard and hotel staff. Always answer back “Jo san” – Good morning as a sign of respect. And, it's always a good morning in Hong Kong, so you sing that loud and proud!
The Japanese 80% rule, known as "Hara Hachi Bu", is a Confucian principle advising people to stop eating when they feel about 80% full, not completely stuffed, to support health and longevity. This practice encourages mindful eating, helps prevent overeating, and is linked to lower rates of illness and longer lifespans, particularly observed in Okinawan centenarians. It involves slowing down during meals, listening to your body's fullness cues, and appreciating food as fuel rather than indulging to the point of discomfort.
The 🍥 in ramen is Narutomaki, a type of Japanese cured fish cake (kamaboko) with a signature pink or red spiral, inspired by the whirlpools of the Naruto Strait. Made from surimi (fish paste) and egg whites, it's a mild, chewy topping, symbolizing traditional ramen and adding a classic visual touch, famously appearing in the anime Naruto.
Yakizakana is fish grilled over high heat. The word “yaki” means ”to temper” and the word “sakana” means fish. Most Japanese kitchens are equipped with fish roasters, but yakizakana can be prepared over a grille, cooked in a frypan, or roasted in an oven.