烤红薯 (kǎo hóng shǔ) — roasted sweet potato

Definition

noun

roasted sweet potato

Measure word · 个

烤红薯。
Dōng tiān de jiē shàng yǒu hěn duō mài kǎo hóng shǔ de xiǎo tān.
There are many stalls selling roasted sweet potatoes on the winter streets.
烤红薯，。
Wǒ zuì xǐ huan chī kǎo hóng shǔ, rè hū hū de.
I like eating roasted sweet potatoes the most, warm and tasty.
烤红薯。
Mā ma mǎi le yí gè kǎo hóng shǔ dāng líng shí.
Mom bought a roasted sweet potato as a snack.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

红薯sweet potato

偏正Modifier + head

烤 means roast, and 红薯 means red yam or sweet potato; together a roasted sweet potato.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

火考烤

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

考

Same sound today

烤 pairs 火 (fire) with 考, which supplies the sound; the fire part is used because the meaning involves heat or roasting.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

工

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.