# 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:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**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, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/21 "2004-04-30T10:53:36Z")
> [@Melandry](#): > > 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. Yep, they’re the same. Like you I’m from Boston and had only eaten General Gau’s. I learned the name General Tso’s while ordering Chinese food with my out-of-state college friends. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/22 "2004-04-30T14:35:05Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Ya know, for all the years I studied Chinese, I’ve never bothered to even think about this. > > “So” with a little more of a “z” sound is perfectly acceptable. The little table placards for Tsingtao beer (and the Chinese speaking staff at the restaurants) say to pronounce it CHING-DOW. Why the difference in pronunciation of the “ts” between “Tsingtao” and “Tso?” ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/23 "2004-04-30T14:48:06Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > The little table placards for Tsingtao beer (and the Chinese speaking staff at the restaurants) say to pronounce it CHING-DOW. Why the difference in pronunciation of the “ts” between “Tsingtao” and “Tso?” That makes sense to me, as I have always pronounced it “General Chow’s Chicken” I’m pretty sure that’s how it was spelled in many places, prior to the shift in translation that changed Peking to Beijing. “Tso” is the new translation for the character Westerners have always pronounced “Chow”. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/24 "2004-04-30T14:55:09Z")
Can’t have a food thread without a [recipe](http://www.io.com/~sjohn/food3.htm). This one is my favorite, though I prefer to use chicken breast meat instead of thighs. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/25 "2004-04-30T15:37:14Z")
> [@cckerberos](#): > > Yep, they’re the same. Like you I’m from Boston and had only eaten General Gau’s. I learned the name General Tso’s while ordering Chinese food with my out-of-state college friends. Further confusing matters, in the New Orleans-area and in my part of Mississippi, it’s most commonly called “Gen. Tsao’s chicken”, with “Tsao” rhyming with “how” (as in the OP). Chinese families down here often hail from Taiwan, which may or may not be a factor. Another possible factor is that many Vietnamese families run Chinese restaurants down here. “Gen. Tso’s chicken” shows up now and again, though … maybe when Chinese folks from other parts of the country open up shop down here. **Gary T** , keep in mind that there are competing standards of Romanization of Chinese, and that there are several dialects of Chinese to be considered. There are many reasons the “ts” in Tsingtao would be different from the “ts” in “Tso”. ---
**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/26 "2004-04-30T15:42:03Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Further confusing matters, in the New Orleans-area and in my part of Mississippi, it’s most commonly called “Gen. Tsao’s chicken”, with “Tsao” rhyming with “how” (as in the OP). Chinese families down here often hail from Taiwan, which may or may not be a factor. Another possible factor is that many Vietnamese families run Chinese restaurants down here. > > “Gen. Tso’s chicken” shows up now and again, though … maybe when Chinese folks from other parts of the country open up shop down here. > > **Gary T** , keep in mind that there are competing standards of Romanization of Chinese, and that there are several dialects of Chinese to be considered. There are many reasons the “ts” in Tsingtao would be different from the “ts” in “Tso”. F’cryin’ out loud! Go to keywords Bang in the name Hit go REad EZ ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/27 "2004-04-30T15:44:21Z")
> [@Ezstrete](#): > > F’cryin’ out loud! > > Go to keywords > > Bang in the name > > Hit go > > REad > > EZ What the hell…? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/28 "2004-04-30T16:01:31Z")
> [@Ezstrete](#): > > F’cryin’ out loud! > > Go to keywords > > Bang in the name > > Hit go > > REad > > EZ OK: [http://www.beerpal.com/beerinfo.asp?ID=990](http://www.beerpal.com/beerinfo.asp?ID=990) > [@](#): > > “Not a favorite of mine, but I would rather have this beer over a magic hat when eating chinese food, well maybe an IPA. This is a crappy beer. But crisp the hops are there but week , like they went stale. No head. Pale piss yellow. Best served cold with a side of General Tso’s Chicken.” That clears up everything. Thanks. ---
**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 30, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757/29 "2004-04-30T16:06:32Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > The little table placards for Tsingtao beer (and the Chinese speaking staff at the restaurants) say to pronounce it CHING-DOW. Why the difference in pronunciation of the “ts” between “Tsingtao” and “Tso?” I learned Chinese using the pinyin romanization system, which, in my view, is a pretty useful. Wade-Giles, the old system that uses a lot of “ts” and apostrophes, confuses the hell out of me. I had to look up the pinyin equivalent on a website. I can’t tell you why Tsingdao is spelled like that when its pinyin in Qingdao and it is pronounced like “Ching Dao,” but I have a guess. Tsingdao beer was created when the Germans ran the concession in Qingdao, and it may well be that a German convention for romanizing Qingdao was adopted – hence, the “German” Tsingdao could be different from the Wade Giles “tso”. Again, that’s just a WAG. I hope that is confusing enough for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-general-tso-as-in-chicken-pronounced/242757.md?page=1)