How to say “rice” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
Tone tip
Dip on 米, then fall on 饭. 米饭 is the cooked rice in your bowl; 米 alone is the raw grain, and 饭 alone often just means 'a meal', as in 吃饭 (chīfàn), 'to eat'.
In a sentence
Qǐng zài lái yì wǎn mǐfàn.
Another bowl of rice, please.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "rice" in Chinese?+
"rice" in Mandarin Chinese is 米饭, pronounced mǐfàn. Dip on 米, then fall on 饭. 米饭 is the cooked rice in your bowl; 米 alone is the raw grain, and 饭 alone often just means 'a meal', as in 吃饭 (chīfàn), 'to eat'.
What does 米饭 mean literally?+
米饭 breaks down as 米 (mǐ) = rice (grain), 饭 (fàn) = cooked rice / meal. Together it means "rice".
How do I get the tones right in mǐfàn?+
Dip on 米, then fall on 饭. 米饭 is the cooked rice in your bowl; 米 alone is the raw grain, and 饭 alone often just means 'a meal', as in 吃饭 (chīfàn), 'to eat'.
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