A United Nations committee has included “Dim-sum” among the nine new names for typhoons that will develop in the western North Pacific and South China Sea this year, the Hong Kong Observatory said on Monday.

The Typhoon Committee, which is under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and the World Meteorological Organization, endorsed the new names to replace the names of tropical cyclones that had caused numerous casualties and major economic losses.

Dim-sum, which was proposed by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and refers to popular small-plate Cantonese dishes, replaces Man-yi, the name of a typhoon that left 14 dead and $65 million in economic losses when it hit the Philippines in November 2024.

The other new names that the committee approved include “Koki”, which refers to a large tree with a hard flesh that is suitable for daily use in Cambodia.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea contributed “Gaegur”, which means “frog”, while Japan submitted “Hebi”, a snake or serpent, and “Tomo”, which means “stern”.  

Micronesia contributed “Tirou”, a formal and respectful way of greeting in Chuukese culture, while the Republic of Korea contributed “Narae”, or the wing of a bird or an insect.

Also approved were “Burapha”, which means “east” in Thailand and “Hoaban”, a flower found in the northwest mountains of Vietnam.

The observatory said earlier that four to seven typhoons may hit Hong Kong this year.