Chinese word

虾

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiā

Meaning

  • nounshrimp

Example

我喜欢吃虾。wǒ xǐ huān chī xiā

I like eating shrimp.

Illustration for 虾 (shrimp)

More examples

他在饭桌上熟练地剥虾。tā zài fàn zhuō shàng shú liàn dì bō xiā

He skillfully peels shrimp at the dinner table.

Core concept

A curved, many-segmented swimmer with a hard outer shell, found in fresh and salt water.

Common phrases

  • 吃虾chī xiā

    eat shrimp

  • 剥虾bō xiā

    peel shrimp

  • 虾仁xiā rén

    shrimp meat

  • 龙虾lóng xiā

    lobster

Similar words

海鲜hǎi xiān: Edible food from the sea or rivers, including fish, shellfish, and other water animals.
虾仁xiā rén: Peeled and cleaned meat from a small shelled water animal, used in cooking.

Definition in Chinese

一种体形狭长、腹部具节并能弯曲的甲壳动物，多数品种可食，分布于海洋和淡水。yì zhǒng tǐ xíng xiá cháng fù bù jù jié bìng néng wān qū de jiǎ qiào dòng wù duō shù pín zhǒng kě shí fēn bù yú hǎi yáng hé dàn shuǐ

Word origin

The older form 蝦 (xiā, "shrimp") uses 虫 (chóng, "insect") for the creature category and 叚 (jiǎ, "phonetic element") for sound, while modern 虾 (xiā, "shrimp") shortens the written form.

Usage tips

  • The measure word 只 (zhī, "animal-counting measure word") commonly counts individual animals of this kind, so a number normally does not stand directly before the noun.

Related words

  • 虾仁xiā rénshrimp meatnoun
  • 龙虾lóng xiālobsternoun
  • 虾米xiā mǐdried shrimpnoun

Word lists with this word