Chinese word

棉花

Pronunciation

Pinyinmián huā

Meaning

  • nouncotton

Example

这床被子里有棉花。zhè chuáng bèi zi lǐ yǒu mián huā

There is cotton in this quilt.

Illustration for 棉花 (cotton)

More examples

今年棉花的价格上涨，农民收入增加。jīn nián mián huā de jià gé shàng zhǎng nóng mín shōu rù zēng jiā

The price of cotton rose this year, and farmers' incomes increased.

Core concept

Soft white tufts gathered from a plant, with the growing cotton plant itself included in the same everyday word.

Common phrases

  • 种植棉花zhòng zhí mián huā

    plant cotton

  • 采摘棉花cǎi zhāi mián huā

    harvest cotton

  • 棉花田mián huā tián

    cotton field

  • 棉花制品mián huā zhì pǐn

    cotton goods

Similar words

棉mián: Raw cotton or loose cotton fiber in a shorter everyday form.
棉布mián bù: Cloth woven from cotton fiber.
棉被mián bèi: A quilt with cotton used as its filling.

Definition in Chinese

棉花是棉植物结出的白色絮状纤维，可用作纺织原料或填充物。mián huā shì mián zhí wù jié chū de bái sè xù zhuàng xiān wéi kě yòng zuò fǎng zhī yuán liào huò tián chōng wù

Word origin

棉花 (miánhuā, "cotton") combines 棉 (mián, "cotton") with 花 (huā, "flower"), linking the plant and its flower-like fluffy bolls.

Usage tips

  • English uses one material noun for the plant, its loose fiber, and fabric made from it, so context often supplies the exact meaning.

Other meanings

  • cotton plantnoun

Opposites

  • 化学纤维huà xué xiān wéichemical fibernoun
  • 合成纤维hé chéng xiān wéisynthetic fibernoun

Related words

  • 棉花糖mián huā tángcotton candynoun
  • 棉花工业mián huā gōng yècotton industrynoun

Word lists with this word