# How is 'General Tso' (as in chicken) pronounced? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 29, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757 "2004-04-29T22:40:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/1 "2004-04-29T22:40:26Z")
I always pronounce it Tau, rhymes with ‘how’. Is this correct? And who the heck was he anyway? Or is it just a Chinese-American invention for us goofy Americans to ponder (like mystical ‘fortune’ cookies)… ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/2 "2004-04-29T22:44:50Z")
So. ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/3 "2004-04-29T22:50:09Z")
No no… you’re both waaayyy off. It’s pronounced “jen-er-uhl” huh? wha?? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/4 "2004-04-29T22:53:44Z")
BUCK-ba-KAK! How else would his chicken pronounce his name? ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/5 "2004-04-29T22:54:57Z")
I always heard (or maybe read) the “Ts” sound was like that of tsetse flies, followed by the “o.” ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/6 "2004-04-29T23:22:27Z")
I’ve always heard it pronounced as “so.” And here’s the [SD Staff Report](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgentso.html) on the origin of the name of the dish. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/7 "2004-04-29T23:36:26Z")
I suspect it would depend on which dialect you speak. How do you pronounce Eisenhower? Is it AAH-zen-HOW-uh or Eye-zen-how-er? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/8 "2004-04-29T23:55:26Z")
Ya know, for all the years I studied Chinese, I’ve never bothered to even think about this. The word “tso” can also be romanized as “zuo.” The “uo” is kind of a difficult sound to make using English pronunciation. My best shot would be to say that it would be like, “zoh-wah” as a single syllable, but the “wah” part is pronounced very, very lightly, almost imperceptably to most unattuned ears. “So” with a little more of a “z” sound is perfectly acceptable. “Tau” isn’t in the ballpark. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/9 "2004-04-30T00:36:35Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > I always heard (or maybe read) the “Ts” sound was like that of tsetse flies, followed by the “o.” That’s how I pronounce it. Like “fatso” without the “fa”. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/10 "2004-04-30T00:40:06Z")
I told this story here a few years ago, but I think Hamsters like General Tso, too. Place: My local Happy Lucky Golden Dragon Restaurant. I have just ordered General Tso take-out. Eve: “So, who was this General Tso, anyway?” Cashier: “What?” Eve [already regretting asking]: “Umm, I eat his chicken a lot, so I was just wondering, who is General Tso?” Cashier [looking at receipt]: “He Eve Golden.” Eve: “No, no. Not who ordered it–who was he?” Cashier: “He chicken in spicy sauce.” Eve: “Umm, never mind . . .” [Cashier calls manager] Manager: “Is something wrong?” Eve: “No . . . I was just ordering some General Tso’s chicken, and I was wondering if anyone knew who he was.” Manager: “Oh, I dunno. He some Chinese guy.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/11 "2004-04-30T00:55:56Z")
Eve, sometimes your life souonds like an episode of _Seinfeld_–only funny. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/12 "2004-04-30T01:32:55Z")
He was a general who helped to crush the Taiping rebellion. Here’s a Washington Post article on him: [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A59302-2002Apr16?language=printer](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A59302-2002Apr16?language=printer) ---
**Author:** ![bleach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bleach/32/3106_2.png) [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/13 "2004-04-30T01:47:04Z")
[Here](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgentso.html)’s the link to Veg’s SD column on who he was and a bit about his chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/14 "2004-04-30T01:59:24Z")
> [@Mr2001](#): > > That’s how I pronounce it. Like “fatso” without the “fa”. Precisely! What a great way of explaining it. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/15 "2004-04-30T02:09:44Z")
Okay, now for another question: Why is it also known as General Gao’s Chicken (at least where I’m from) ? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/16 "2004-04-30T02:10:33Z")
The website that says it was “invented” in the early 70’s in NYC is probably correct. Barry Popik, who is the resident word sleuth on all things food over at the American Dialect Society can only find cites from the 1970’s(so far). About the same time, the dishes “Gen. Chang’s Chicken” and Gen. Gau’s Chicken" appeared. All in the 1970’s. Usually on NYC menus. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/17 "2004-04-30T02:31:24Z")
The Boston Comic News (now sadly defunct – sniff!) once carried a cartoon showing a Chinese General in clothes that would have been appropriate a few centuries back, standing in an aggressive pose in the lobby of a Chinese restaurant, brandishing a flamboyant and wicked-looking spear. The caption read:" General Tso wants his chicken back". I loved it. Although, judging from the cited Staff report, they were evidently a few centuries off in the costume. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/18 "2004-04-30T07:11:32Z")
i had never heard of ‘general tso’, but reading this thread you think it has anything to do with colonel sanders? ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/19 "2004-04-30T07:28:53Z")
In the spirit of **Eve** ’s anecdote, my (very Republican) boyfriend always researches the backgrounds of Chinese food generals before he will order their dish, so that he doesn’t end up accidentally supporting a Communist military leader by eating food named after him. Or something. Is General Gau’s really the same as General Tso’s? I must admit I’ve never seen them both on the menu at the same place. I order Gau’s all the time but have not tried anything going under the name of Tso. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/20 "2004-04-30T07:45:37Z")
I just want to know who this Almond Boneless guy is. My wife eats his chicken all the time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757.md?page=2)