Chinese word

胡椒

Pronunciation

Pinyinhú jiāo

Meaning

  • nounpepper

Example

服务员，能给我一些胡椒吗？fú wù yuán néng gěi wǒ yì xiē hú jiāo ma

Waiter, could I have some pepper?

Illustration for 胡椒 (pepper)

More examples

我要在牛排上撒点胡椒。wǒ yào zài niú pái shàng sā diǎn hú jiāo

I want to sprinkle some pepper on the steak.

Core concept

Aromatic dried berries that add a sharp, warming bite to food.

Common phrases

  • 在牛排上撒胡椒zài niú pái shàng sā hú jiāo

    sprinkle pepper on steak

  • 来点胡椒lái diǎn hú jiāo

    some pepper please

  • 胡椒粉hú jiāo fěn

    ground pepper

Similar words

胡椒粉hú jiāo fěn: A fine powder made by grinding dried pepper, used as a seasoning.
黑胡椒hēi hú jiāo: A dark-colored spice made from dried pepper berries, often with a strong flavor.
白胡椒bái hú jiāo: A light-colored spice made from processed pepper berries, useful when food color matters.
胡椒粒hú jiāo lì: Whole dried pepper berries that go into food as they are or after being crushed.

Definition in Chinese

由胡椒科植物的成熟果实制成的调味料，常见形式为黑胡椒或白胡椒，主要用于提味或增加辛辣感。yóu hú jiāo kē zhí wù de chéng shú guǒ shí zhì chéng de tiáo wèi liào cháng jiàn xíng shì wèi hēi hú jiāo huò bái hú jiāo zhǔ yào yòng yú tí wèi huò zēng jiā xīn là gǎn

Word origin

胡椒 (hújiāo, "pepper") combines 胡 (hú, "foreign") + 椒 (jiāo, "pungent spice"), linking an old marker for things from beyond China with the name for an aromatic spice plant.

Usage tips

  • English often uses pepper for several kinds of peppers, but Chinese usually keeps the dried spice separate from chili and bell pepper in everyday food talk.

Related words

  • 白胡椒bái hú jiāowhite peppernoun
  • 黑胡椒hēi hú jiāoblack peppernoun

Word lists with this word