Chinese word

小麦

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiǎo mài

Meaning

  • nounwheat

Example

面包是用小麦做的。miàn bāo shì yòng xiǎo mài zuò de

Bread is made from wheat.

Illustration for 小麦 (wheat)

More examples

农民开始收割小麦，准备运到粮库。nóng mín kāi shǐ shōu gē xiǎo mài zhǔn bèi yùn dào liáng kù

The farmers began harvesting wheat, preparing to transport it to the granary.

Core concept

A field grain that becomes a basic flour for many everyday foods.

Common phrases

  • 小麦粉xiǎo mài fěn

    wheat flour

  • 种植小麦zhòng zhí xiǎo mài

    grow wheat

  • 收割小麦shōu gē xiǎo mài

    harvest wheat

Similar words

面粉miàn fěn: Flour made by grinding wheat grains, used as an ingredient in bread, noodles, and other foods.
麦子mài zi: A common spoken term for harvested, dried wheat grains.
谷物gǔ wù: The general category of edible grain crops, including rice and wheat.
粮食liáng shí: Grain and other food used to feed people or livestock, especially staple food.

Definition in Chinese

一种主要的粮食作物，其籽粒可磨成面粉，用于制作面包、面条等食品。yì zhǒng zhǔ yào de liáng shí zuò wù qí zǐ lì kě mó chéng miàn fěn yòng yú zhì zuò miàn bāo miàn tiáo děng shí pǐn

Word origin

小 (xiǎo, "small") + 麦 (mài, "wheat") gives the crop its name and sets it apart from 大麦 (dàmài, "barley") in the traditional classification of grains.

Usage tips

  • This word names the wheat crop or grain, while the food made from it is identified separately, a distinction that helps keep ingredient talk clear.

Related words

  • 小麦粉xiǎo mài fěnwheat flournoun
  • 小麦田xiǎo mài tiánwheat fieldnoun
  • 小麦品种xiǎo mài pín zhǒngwheat varietynoun

Word lists with this word