Chinese word

红薯

Pronunciation

Pinyinhóng shǔ

Meaning

  • nounsweet potato

Example

市场有很多红薯。shì chǎng yǒu hěn duō hóng shǔ

There are many sweet potatoes at the market.

Illustration for 红薯 (sweet potato)

More examples

冬天路边常能看到有人卖烤红薯。dōng tiān lù biān cháng néng kàn dào yǒu rén mài kǎo hóng shǔ

In winter, you can often see people selling roasted sweet potatoes by the roadside.

Core concept

A thick underground crop with colored skin and soft, sweet flesh that suits steaming, boiling, or roasting.

Common phrases

  • 烤红薯kǎo hóng shǔ

    roasted sweet potato

  • 吃红薯chī hóng shǔ

    eat sweet potatoes

  • 红薯粉hóng shǔ fěn

    sweet potato flour

Similar words

地瓜dì guā: A sweet underground tuber eaten after being steamed, boiled, or roasted, often with its skin on.
番薯fān shǔ: A sweet, starchy root crop grown mainly for food.
甘薯gān shǔ: A sweet, starchy underground root used as food.

Definition in Chinese

一种可食用的块根植物，皮多为红色或紫红色，肉质甜糯，可蒸、煮、烤等多种吃法。yì zhǒng kě shí yòng de kuài gēn zhí wù pí duō wèi hóng sè huò zǐ hóng sè ròu zhì tián nuò kě zhēng zhǔ kǎo děng duō zhǒng chī fǎ

Word origin

红 (hóng, "red") + 薯 (shǔ, "tuber") identifies a tuber by its commonly reddish skin.

Usage tips

  • In China, roasted red-skinned tubers are a familiar winter street food, so this word appears in casual market talk as well as meal planning.

Related words

  • 红薯粉hóng shǔ fěnsweet potato flournoun
  • 红薯淀粉hóng shǔ diàn fěnsweet potato starchnoun
  • 红薯干hóng shǔ gàndried sweet potatonoun

Word lists with this word