Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Chinese ·1960s
Hoisin
from 海鮮 (hoi sin)
- Meaning
- A thick sweet-savoury sauce used in Chinese cuisine.
- Source word
- 海鮮 (hoi sin)
- Route into English
- Cantonese *hoi sin* ("sea taste") → English via Chinese restaurants in the West. Despite the name the sauce contains no seafood — the *sin* (taste, fresh) is the key part.
- Arrived
- 1960s
From Chinese
Trade English from the South China Sea ports (especially Hokkien-speaking Xiamen and Canton) seeded the early borrowings; 20th-century diplomacy and military contact added the rest.
English borrows.
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