n.
dumpling
饺子
dumpling
Traditional Chinese dumplings, crescent-shaped with minced filling (饺 horn/wrapper + 子 suffix); staple of celebrations.
Common Usage & Traps
- 吃饺子 — eat dumplings
- 买饺子 — buy dumplings
- 饺子七块五 — dumplings are seven yuan fifty
-
饺子是七块五饺子七块五In a quick menu or price tag, Chinese usually drops 是. It is not wrong in a full sentence, but on a sign it sounds heavy.
In '饺子七块五，包子五块三', why is there no 是 or measure word?
Menus and price tags drop 是 and measure words; the number alone does the job.
Chinese price talk often cuts the verb and measure word. '饺子七块五' works because the context already says we're talking about price. Adding 是 is fine in a full sentence, but on a menu it sounds heavy. Same pattern: '包子五块三' means 'buns are five thirty'.
“饺子七块五，包子五块三。” (Dumplings are seven yuan fifty, and steamed buns are five yuan thirty.)
“饺子七块五，包子五块三。” (Dumplings are seven yuan fifty, and steamed buns are five yuan thirty.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Quick price talk | 饺子七块五 | 饺子是七块五 (on a sign) |
Does English 'dumpling' mean the same as 饺子?
No. 饺子 means Chinese jiaozi, not every dumpling.
饺子 are the half-moon dumplings with a wheat wrapper, usually boiled or pan-fried. A 包子 is a filled bun with a thicker, fluffy wrapper. English menus often call both 'dumplings', but Chinese keeps them separate. If you call a 包子 a 饺子, people will notice the mix-up.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Half-moon dumplings | 饺子 | 包子 |
| Steamed filled buns | 包子 | 饺子 |
| English 'dumpling' | 饺子 for jiaozi only | 饺子 for every dumpling |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
Follow a traveler's unexpected hospital stay in China, where counting days and costs becomes practical learning. Practice numbers, dates, food prices, and simple descriptions of a doctor and room.
- Scene #1
饺子 七块五，包子五块三。
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