In Malaysia, durian is often sold by the Chinese. Although we do speak multiple languages, you sometimes need to say durian in Chinese in order for the “uncle” and “aunty” selling durian to understand the particular type of durian that you’re looking for.
The Chinese pronunciation for durian can’t be well articulated in writing. So, I recorded about 25+ audio samples of me saying different types of durian in Chinese. I retain my Malaysian accent so that the local can understand it better when you speak.
On top of that, I also included several types of durian that are primarily pronounced in Cantonese and Hokkien. In case the local don’t understand, you still can try to speak either one of them.
Durian in Chinese Pronunciation
In Chinese language, Durian is pronounced as Liú Lián. In Chinese writing, durian is 榴莲. Following is an audio sample of me saying durian in Chinese Mandarin:
This is how you say durian in Cantonese:
Saying durian in Hokkien:
If you’re in Johor state, chances are Mandarin is the primary Chinese pronouncation. But, if you come to Kuala Lumpur, people tend to use Cantonese more. And, if you go to Penang, Hokkien is very popular there. However, there might be a slight difference in my KL pronunciation but it’ll do fine.
9 Types of Durian Pronounced in Chinese
Now, learning how to say durian in Chinese is not very helpful. You need to know how to say a particular type of durian that you’re looking for. Here are the popular types of durian in Chinese:
Musang King
In Chinese language, Musang King durian is pronounced as Māo Shān Wáng Liú Lián. In Chinese writing, Musang King durian is 猫山王 榴莲. Following is an audio sample of me saying Musang King in Chinese Mandarin:
Musang King in Cantonese:
If you have not enquire a durian before, we don’t normally say durian when enquiring, we just say the durian type. For example, we don’t say “how much is Musang King durian” but we say “how much is Musang King”. Here is an audio sample on how to ask the price of a Musang King durian in Mandarin Chinese:
The above audio says 猫山王现在多少钱 which is equivalent to “how much is Musang King now“. The color represents the meaning of the Chinese word in English. So, you can replace it with other types of durian and ask the price. We say “now” because the price of durian follow the real-time market rate.
Here is an audio sample of how you say “how much is Musang King now” in Cantonese:
The saying pattern is the same for both Mandarin and Cantonese. Replace the first part with other types of durian to ask the price of the durian in Cantonese.
Tekka
In Chinese language, Tekka durian is pronounced as Zhú Jiǎo Liú Lián. In Chinese writing, Tekka durian is 竹脚 榴莲. Following is an audio sample of me saying Tekka in Chinese Mandarin:
However, Tekka durian is rarely pronounced in Mandarin Chinese. Instead, the English word “Tekka” comes from the Hokkien pronunciation as follows:
Does it sound like the English word Tekka? It is originated from the Hokkien pronunciation. Because Tekka durian is primarily pronounced in Hokkien, saying Mandarin the “uncle” may not understand. So, you can mix Hokkien with either Cantonese when asking for the price like this:
In Malaysia, you can mix Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien and we still understand. Sometimes, it is the preferred way because we’re use one of the three Chinese languages for certain things. If you standardize everything to Mandarin Chinese, it may be harder for some of us to understand.
D24
In Chinese language, D24 durian is pronounced as D Èr Shí Sì Liú Lián. In Chinese writing, D24 durian is D24 榴莲 (for certain types of durian, the name is just sticking back to the official durian code). Following is an audio sample of me saying D24 in Chinese Mandarin:
This D24 Mandarin pronunciation of mine is full of Malaysian Chinese accent and that’s we roll.
Saying D24 in Cantonese:
D24 in Hokkien:
For Hokkien, we don’t say the “D”, just the “24”. Otherwise, it’ll be like “D Di Zap Si” which is confusing.
Black Thorn
In Chinese language, Black Thorn durian is pronounced as Hēi Cì Liú Lián. In Chinese writing, Black Thorn durian is 黑刺 榴莲. Following is an audio sample of me saying Black Thorn in Chinese Mandarin:
In Cantonese:
Black Thorn durian is more famous in Penang. So, Black Thorn durian is often say in Hokkien as well and here is how you say it:
If you Google it, Black Thorn durian is also known as “O-Cee” or “O-Chi” and that’s the Hokkien pronunciation.
Oh, and if you want to learn how to identify a Black Thorn durian, check out this blog post of mine: How to Identify Black Thorn Durian (with Photos). Very useful as Black Thorn durian is quite rare now.
Monthong
In Chinese language, Monthong durian is pronounced as Jīn Zhěn Tóu Liú Lián. In Chinese writing, Monthong durian is 金枕头 榴莲. Following is an audio sample of me saying Monthong in Chinese Mandarin:
In Cantonese:
Capri
In Chinese language, Capri durian is pronounced as Jiǎ Bì Lì Liú Lián. In Chinese writing, Monthong durian is 甲必利 榴莲. Here is where the Malaysian-English comes.
We don’t say Capri durian in either pure Mandarin or Cantonese. Instead, we mix English with Chinese when saying Capri like this:
Sounds like what an “uncle” will say. But, the pronunciation is similar to Capri in English, you might as well use Capri and I think the local will understand.
D101
In Chinese language, D101 durian is pronounced as D Yī Líng Yī Liú Lián. In Chinese writing, D101 durian is 一零一 榴莲 (another type of durian we say by its official durian code). Here, we don’t really say “D”. Rather, we just say “101” in Chinese Mandarin like this:
In Cantonese:
As far as I know, D101 is another type of durian people often say in Hokkien. So, this is how you pronounce it in Hokkien:
Hor Lor
In Chinese language, Hor Lor durian is pronounced as Hú Lú Liú Lián. In Chinese writing, Hor Lor durian is 葫芦 榴莲. The Chinese Mandarin pronunciation for Hor Lor is:
Hor Lor durian is another type of durian where the typical English name used is based on the Hokkien pronunciation as follows:
Sound exactly the same as Hor Lor right? It is named after the Hokkien pronunciation!
Red Prawn
In Chinese language, Red Prawn durian is pronounced as Hóng Xiā Liú Lián. In Chinese writing, Hor Lor durian is 红虾 榴莲. The Chinese Mandarin pronunciation for Red Prawn is:
Red Prawn durian is also commonly say in Hokkien:
Red Prawn durian is well-known. So, even if you use English, the local will most probably understand. Otherwise, Hokkien is the way to go.
(Bonus) Asking for the price of a Red Prawn durian in Hokkien plus Mandarin:
That’s all I have for you in this post. I hope you find it useful to pinpoint the type of durian that you’re looking for here in Malaysia.