• Terminology
  • Name & Etymology
• Ingredients & Preparation
  • Tools
  • Dough
  • Preparation
  • Folding
  • Filling
  • Cooking Methods
• Geography & Migration
  • Origin
  • Spread
• Cultural Associations
  • Gender
  • Holidays
• Bibliography

Name & Etymology

The English word “wonton” reflects the Cantonese pronunciation wan t’an. While the Chinese characters (云吞) remain the same for both Cantonese and the more widely spoken Mandarin, Mandarin pronunciation of “wonton” is yún tūn, literally translating to “swallowing cloud”, referring to the apparent similarities between eating a wonton and swallowing a cloud (yún : cloud; tūn : to swallow).