Chinese word

玉米

Pronunciation

Pinyinyù mǐ

Meaning

  • nouncorn

Example

我买了一根烤玉米。wǒ mǎi le yì gēn kǎo yù mǐ

I bought an ear of roasted corn.

Illustration for 玉米 (corn)

More examples

农民在玉米地里收割。nóng mín zài yù mǐ dì lǐ shōu gē

Farmers are harvesting in the cornfield.

Core concept

A crop grows a cob lined with orderly kernels that can be eaten fresh or processed into food, oil, starch, and feed.

Common phrases

  • 玉米地yù mǐ dì

    cornfield

  • 种玉米zhǒng yù mǐ

    plant corn

  • 收割玉米shōu gē yù mǐ

    harvest corn

Similar words

大米dà mǐ: Rice grains prepared for cooking and eating.
小麦xiǎo mài: A grain whose flour is used to make bread and noodles.
谷物gǔ wù: A broad term for edible crops that produce grains.
粮食liáng shí: Main foods cultivated and processed for people to eat.

Definition in Chinese

一种一年生的谷物，穗上有整齐成行的籽粒，可直接食用也可加工为饲料、油和淀粉，常见烹调有煮、烤和磨粉。yì zhǒng yì nián shēng de gǔ wù suì shàng yǒu zhěng qí chéng háng de zǐ lì kě zhí jiē shí yòng yě kě jiā gōng wèi sì liào yóu hé diàn fěn cháng jiàn pēng tiáo yǒu zhǔ kǎo hé mó fěn

Word origin

玉米 (yùmǐ, "corn") combines 玉 (yù, "jade") with 米 (mǐ, "rice"), a descriptive name linking the kernels' bright, beadlike look with a familiar grain.

Usage tips

  • English often says an ear of corn rather than a corn for one cob, while Chinese commonly uses 根 (gēn, "measure word for long objects") for a whole one.

Related words

  • 玉米地yù mǐ dìcornfieldnoun
  • 玉米粒yù mǐ lìcorn kernelnoun

Word lists with this word