hoisin sauce

Questions

What does hoisin sauce mean?

A thick, pungent, dark, sweet and salty sauce made from soy, garlic and chili, used in Chinese cooking.

Where does hoisin sauce come from?

Partial calque from Cantonese 海鮮醬／海鲜酱 (hoi2 sin1 zoeng3, literally “seafood sauce, sauce for seafood”).

How to pronounce hoisin sauce

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hoisin sauce”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hoisin sauce”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “hoisin sauce” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.