(bǐng gān) - biscuit, cracker in Mandarin
bǐnggānTraditional: 餅乾
Translation
biscuit, cracker
Word origin
A compound of 饼 (bǐng, a flat round cake of flour) and 干 (gān, dry), so a dried flat cake. The traditional form writes the second character 乾.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 饼 (bǐng, flat cake) + 干 (gān, dry)
Stroke order
饼
干
Examples
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The child eats two biscuits every afternoon.
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There is a box of biscuits on the table.
配。
I like biscuits with milk.
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This kind of biscuit is not very sweet.
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She makes biscuits at home herself.
饼干 (bǐng gān) is the biscuit aisle in a single word: sweet biscuits, savoury crackers and everything between. The logic is a dry 饼, which distinguishes it from the soft flatbreads and pancakes that 饼 covers on its own.
The measure word is 块 for individual biscuits and 盒 or 包 for the packet: 一块饼干, 一盒饼干. Learners often reach for 个, which is understandable but not what a shopkeeper says.
Note the traditional spelling. In Taiwan and Hong Kong it is written 餅乾, because 干 and 乾 are separate characters that simplification merged. Read a traditional menu and 乾 is the one you want.
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饼干: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "饼干" (biscuit, cracker): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 57.