(mǐ fàn) - rice in Mandarin
mǐfànTraditional: 米飯
Translation
rice
Stroke order
米
饭
Examples
。
I eat rice every day.
。
Please give me another bowl of rice.
配。
This dish is meant to be eaten with rice.
。
The rice is already cooked.
,。
Southerners mainly eat rice, while northerners mainly eat noodles.
米饭 (mǐfàn) is "cooked rice", the plain steamed rice served in a bowl alongside other dishes. 米 (mǐ) is "rice" in its grain form, uncooked or as a crop, and 饭 (fàn) means "cooked food, a meal", so 米饭 (mǐfàn) specifically means rice once it has been cooked and is ready to eat.
It is the default staple across most of southern China, the counterpart to 面条 (miàntiáo), "noodles", which dominates further north, and a bowl of 米饭 (mǐfàn) is what most people picture when someone says 吃饭 (chīfàn), "to eat a meal", even though 饭 (fàn) on its own can mean food in general.
Don't confuse this 饭 (fàn) with the unrelated character 犯 (fàn), "to offend, to commit (a crime)": same pronunciation, completely different meaning and a different character entirely.
Where this fits
Used in
Grammar articles
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米饭: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "米饭" (rice): 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 109.